Project Serenity
by ElberethUndomiel
Summary: When Heero Yuy's wife is kidnapped, he'll do anything to get her back, including enlisting the help of Rainbow Six, an anti-terror squad based out of England. SM/GW/Rainbow Six cross.
1. Taken

Trying not to sob, she stared at the ceiling. She avoided looking at what was left of her home, or her husband, knowing both would send her into an uncontrollable fit of hysteria. A sudden knocking at their front door captured the attention of husband and wife, both of whom attempted to cry out through their gags. He lifted his foot to bang against the kitchen table, and the toaster oven toppled off with a resounding crash.

Abruptly, the knocking cut off and the door opened. Recognizing their neighbor, both of them sobbed with relief, knowing their ordeal was over. Their chief concern was what had happened to their daughter—who took her, and why?

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His eyes snapped open at the incessant ringing of his cell phone. It was three in the morning—who could possibly be calling him? When he saw the caller ID was his wife's parent's home, he automatically picked up, thinking his wife wanted to talk about something. This wasn't unusual—in fact, some of her best ideas came to her in the middle of the night, and he often listened and helped her form the idea until it was practical.

"Hello?" His voice rasped with tiredness.

Listening to the hysterical woman relating the story of the kidnap of his wife, he clutched the phone so tightly he was afraid it would break. Taking a steadying breath, his eyes glinted with the promise of death for whoever had done this.

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Her head was throbbing, most likely from when the masked man had struck her on the temple with the butt of his gun. She moved to stretch her arms, but realized quickly they were tied behind her back. The second thing she realized what that her arms were numb, and as soon as she moved, her shoulders ached in pain.

Looking around the room, she noticed that aside from the cot she had been placed upon, the only other furnishing was an identical cot on the other side of the room. There was a small toilet between the beds. A dim light burned above the bed, and a steel door blocked her escape. There were no windows, so for all she knew, she could have been unconscious for days.

The last thing she realized was that she wasn't alone. One of her kidnappers stood in the shadowy corner of her cell. Catching her eye, he said, "We need to talk."

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His side burned with pain, and he knew he wouldn't be able to outrun his pursuers for much longer. By no means a strong man, the small knife wound to Jun Tanaka's side sapped his strength and made him stumble more than he could afford to. Chancing a look behind him, he missed the crack in the sidewalk that would send him sprawling.

Landing in a heap, he rolled over and attempted to stand back up. Before he could so much as move, his pursuer pointed a gun at his heart, and saying, "Enough games," quickly shot Jun Tanaka with a tranquilizer.

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If there was one thing Duo Maxwell hated more than anything else, it was waking up early in the morning. Why he had taken this gig in England was beyond him. Stumbling downstairs, he arrived in the kitchen of his small home, and saw his partner in crime, Wufei Chang, pouring him a cup of coffee. With a small grunt of appreciation, he took the strong Arabian coffee, a Christmas gift from his friend Quatre Winner, and headed for the refrigerator to look for something edible.

Wufei clucked in disdain. "Oversleep again, Maxwell? You know the Commander will have your head for this."

Duo grimaced. "It's too early for the lecture, okay? If you must know, I was researching that new crime syndicate Heero sent us the information about. They might be behind that hostage taking in Bern we dealt with last month."

Wufei fell silent, knowing Duo's instincts were usually dead on. Nodding slightly, he grabbed a towel, bottle of water and his cell phone. Grumbling slightly, Duo gulped down his coffee and followed suit. They left the small home on base and jogged to the track. After all, Wufei was right. It wouldn't do to be late.

When they arrived at the track, most of the others were there, including Commander Domingo Chavez, leader of their unit. The Rainbow team comprised of two squads. The point of Rainbow was to end hostage situations without getting any of the hostages killed. Since Duo and Wufei had joined the team six months before, they had participated in four missions, and hadn't lost a hostage yet. Their success was due, in large part, to their fanatical training regimen.

Called to order, the two squads began their daily five mile run. Once they had finished, they would return home briefly to change, then head to the office for a day of work. Today, Duo and Wufei's team would be running a hostage simulation. As the resident explosive expert, Duo was looking forward to today's challenge, and the chance to test the new timing device he'd been working on.

As the run came to a close, they walked a half-lap to cool their bodies down. Laughing and trading jokes, they headed back towards their duffel bags. Reaching down for his towel, Wufei frowned as he saw that he'd missed a call. Flipping his phone open, his eyes widened slightly to see that Heero Yuy, his comrade from the wars and friend, had called. He hadn't left a message.

Hitting the redial button, Wufei waited impatiently. The phone was answered on before the second ring.

"Wufei." Heero's voice rasped with exhaustion.

He felt a hint of trepidation make its way down his spine. "Heero? What's wrong?" Without thinking about it, Wufei slipped into Heero's native tongue, Japanese.

Duo had been chatting with Paddy Connolly, the other explosives expert, when he heard the urgency in Wufei's voice. Slipping to Wufei's side, Duo paled as he heard Heero's message.

"Usagi's been kidnapped. We have no idea if it's because of me or because of her government work. All we know is that she was taken on Friday night. The kidnappers didn't say anything to her, left her parents alive, and left no ransom note. She's been gone for three full days."

Duo and Wufei exchanged a worried glance. Before Heero and Usagi had met at university five years ago, Heero had rarely showed emotion, and even more rarely allowed his distress to be known to others. But today, even a stranger would have heard the emotion in the Perfect Soldier's voice.

"Heero, is there anything we can do?" Duo asked quietly.

By now, the men in both units had picked up on the fact that something wasn't right. Duo, normally energetic to the point of driving the others crazy was somber, and the mischievous twinkle in his eyes had gone out. Duo waited patiently for his best friend to reply, knowing that Heero did things in his own time. Finally, he replied in a dark voice,

"Help me find them. Help me find them and annihilate them."

Wufei nodded. "Of course. Usagi's like a sister to us. Send us any information you have, and we'll get on it."

"There's one more thing," Heero paused. "There was some sort of message left at her parent's house, but it's not Japanese. We can't figure out what language it is, but the detectives are certain it isn't a ransom note. I'll send it to you, along with Ikuko and Kenji's descriptions of the attack."

"Thanks. Heero, we'll get her back," Duo promised.

"I know." With that, Heero hung up.

"Shit," Duo muttered, switching back to English. "Commander, we have a situation. One of our comrades from the wars, his wife was kidnapped several days ago. They don't know if it's in connection to his past or her current job, but odds are Relena Peacecraft will contact us for our assistance before the day's over. Requesting permission to scrap today's mission and instead focus on finding Usagi Yuy."

Domingo Chavez, better known as Ding to his comrades-in-arms, studied Duo and Wufei's serious faces. Neither would back down, he knew. But he also knew he wouldn't jeopardize his team's mission readiness.

"Why would Relena Peacecraft, former queen of the world and Queen of Sanc Kingdom personally call us?"

"Because Usagi interned under Relena several years ago, and because Heero will ask her to do it, sir. Not to mention, the last we heard, Usagi was working on a government project above the Top Secret level. The Japanese government will probably also call on Relena for assistance."

Frowning, Domingo sighed. He knew when he'd been beat. Nodding slightly, he led the way to their team office, so that they could look at whatever scant evidence they had, and go from there.

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Usagi Yuy, formerly Usagi Tsukino, sent her kidnapper a hard glare. She didn't have anything to say to the man, and she didn't want to have to listen to him, either. These people had broken into her home and nearly killed her parents! Her inattention didn't stop him from approaching her and drawing a knife. Instinctively flinching, she was surprised when he cut the bonds at her wrists and stepped back several feet.

"I'm sorry for the coarse treatment you've received thus far, Mrs. Yuy. Please know that those were not my orders. If you cooperate, I will even guarantee your safety for the duration of your stay with us. Some of the men are, shall we say, sadists…"

Usagi cut him off. "Who the hell do you think you are, kidnapping me from my home?! I demand you release me immediately!"

He sighed. "I'm afraid that's not possible. You see, Project Serenity must never get off the ground. If I simply let you go, it will go ahead without a hitch. You will tell me everything you know. If you choose not to, let's just say you'll become better acquainted with the sadists of our group."

Usagi's blood ran cold. Her bad week had just gotten much, much worse. If her kidnappers knew of her involvement with the Project, she would likely be killed rather than ever released. She took solace in the fact that her counterpart, Jun Tanaka's identity should still be safe. What she wasn't ready for was the cell door opening, and a groggy man being pushed forward. As he sank to the bed on the other side of the room, Usagi couldn't help but gasp. If they knew Jun Tanaka's identity and role in the Project, what else did they know?

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I'm back (sort of). Just had this idea for a fic, decided to write it. I know I still have a few unfinished ones out there, but I'm working on them. Sometimes, a new idea helps stir up the old creative juices…

I don't own Sailor Moon, Gundam Wing, or Rainbow Six by Tom Clancy. If I did, I wouldn't be posting stories online…^_^;


	2. The Trial has Begun

Hotaru Tomoe was playing in the backyard, watched by Haruka Tenou and Michiru Kaou when it happened. One moment she was chasing a butterfly, the next, she went strangely still and her eyes unfocused. Recognizing the signs, Haruka gently grasped her adopted daughter's shoulders, and said,

"What do you see?"

Hotaru's eyes were focused on something only she could see. With the smallest shudder, she spoke in a flat voice. "Difficult times are coming. The trial has begun."

Haruka and Michiru exchanged a swift glance. "What trial?"

"The trial has begun," the child repeated.

Haruka gently squeezed her daughter's shoulders, and Hotaru's eyes abruptly refocused. She stared up at Haruka with a question in her eyes.

"Haruka-papa, why are you holding my shoulders?"

"No reason at all, firefly." Haruka mussed Hotaru's hair and let her go. The five year old quickly returned to her chase.

Michiru slipped her hand into Haruka's. "The seas are stirring."

Haruka nodded. "The winds have been unsettled today."

Both looked to their communicators, in plain sight by their drinks. What was going on? When would they find out?

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Three hours after receiving the news of Usagi's kidnapping, Duo and Wufei were hard at work. They were attempting to decipher the strange text the kidnappers had left behind, but so far, they hadn't had any luck. It was like the language had never existed. Growling in frustration, Duo banged his head on his desk.

"Maxwell, you can't afford to kill more brain cells," Wufei scoffed.

Rather than dignify that with a verbal response, Duo lifted his right hand and lowered all but his middle finger. Wufei's eyes narrowed slightly, but before he could say anything, his cell phone rang again. It was a number he didn't recognize.

"Hello?"

"Hello? Is this Chang Wufei?" A distinctly feminine voice queried.

"This is he. May I ask who is calling?" Wufei felt slightly suspicious.

"How rude of me. You may not remember, but we met at Usagi and Heero's wedding last year. My name is Setsuna Meiou. Currently, I'm the ambassador of Japan to both the United Kingdom and the Earth Sphere Unified Nation. I'm trying to find your office, and I'm on base. Do you have the address?"

Wufei had stiffened slightly when he heard her name. "Of course, Ambassador." Swiftly giving the address, he stood to alert Domingo of the coming guest.

Not five minutes later, the door of their office opened, and a tall woman with ruby-colored eyes and black hair that shone green in spots entered. She was accompanied by a tall man with black hair and blue eyes. Wufei nodded in greeting to them both. Silently, he wondered what Mamoru Chiba was doing away from his wife.

"Mamoru? Long time no see!" Duo strode forward and clapped him on the shoulder. "How are Relena and Hikari doing?"

"Well, thank you. Hikari is starting to speak in full sentences." Mamoru smiled thinly, but the affection for his daughter was clear in his eyes. "I met up with Setsuna in order to formally pass along Relena's request for assistance in finding Usagi."

Domingo stepped forward. "Mr. Chiba, it is a pleasure to meet you. And you must be Ambassador Meiou."

"Setsuna, please," she didn't smile. "I hear that you were given the strange message left by the kidnappers. Have you had any luck?"

Duo shook his head morosely. "It's like the language doesn't even exist anymore!"

"That's because it doesn't. The language has been dead for approximately one thousand years." Setsuna replied.

Wufei's mind boggled at the thought. "How do you know that, and why did you bother wasting our time with it? We could've been doing something more productive!"

"I'm sorry, I only saw the message for myself ninety minutes ago." Glancing at the eleven men around her, she made a snap decision. "I know the language because it ties directly to Usagi's work. This makes me believe the kidnappers were interested in her knowledge rather than revenge against Heero."

"Heero mentioned that Usagi was involved in some sort of pilot program. Just what was she up to?" Duo asked, studying Setsuna closely. If there was one thing he prided himself on, it was looking for the physical cues that gave even the best liars away.

Setsuna sighed. "I'm afraid I can't go into details. As you may know, the current emperor's family has been lost through a series of suspicious deaths. If he dies before naming an heir, the line dies with him. One part of Usagi's project is to find a suitable replacement for him."

Wufei felt he was missing the larger picture. The kidnappers wouldn't care if the imperial system continued the way it currently was, outdated and antiquated. "That can't be the reason Usagi was kidnapped. Whoever her kidnappers are, they wouldn't care if the status quo was maintained. Something must be about to change."

Setsuna smiled slightly. "Perceptive, Wufei. You're right. The people have been unhappy with the current arrangement for some time. On the current emperor's passing, a change will take place. Usagi's group has been dealing with the change itself."

"Just how much of a change is this?" Duo asked suspiciously. "Are we talking the emperor getting to voice an opinion, or are we talking about something else?"

"I cannot say." Setsuna replied. "Usagi's work ties directly into the coming changes, and she has been fully briefed on every aspect of the project. What is even more disconcerting is that a member of the group assigned to find a suitable replacement for the emperor was also kidnapped Sunday morning. Jun Tanaka disappeared from his home, and there were signs of a struggle."

"Hm…" Domingo pondered. "What does this have to do with us?"

Setsuna finally addressed him directly. "Commander Chavez, our governments have a cooperative agreement. We need your assistance to find Miss Tsukino and Mr. Tanaka before more damage can be done."

"I suppose there's really no choice, what with Relena Peacecraft asking for help and all," he grumbled lightly.

"It's not just Relena, Mr. Chavez," Mamoru spoke quietly. "Usagi is important to many people. You will most likely be flooded with calls until she is recovered."

"Why do you say that?" Louis, a French sharpshooter asked with narrowed eyes.

"You haven't met her, so you don't understand, but Usagi is like gravity. Whoever she meets is drawn towards her. It's irresistible." Mamoru smiled slightly. "When you meet her, you'll understand."

Duo, Wufei and Setsuna nodded emphatically, understanding exactly what Mamoru had meant. The other men of Domingo's unit shook their heads doubtfully.

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Admittedly, seeing Jun Tanaka had given her quite a shock. But there was a reason Usagi had risen so far in the project so quickly. She knew how to keep her cool. Taking a deep breath, she faced her kidnapper, and said,

"I have no idea who that man is. Did you kidnap some random poor person?"

Jun's head snapped up. He stared between Usagi and the kidnapper, unable to comprehend what was going on. The tranquilizer was still working on his system.

The kidnapper released a dark chuckle. "You think we don't know the depth of both of your involvement with the project? Mrs. Yuy, I must ask you to come with me, for a friendly chat."

"And if I refuse?" She asked boldly, staring him in the eye.

Jun turned his head from one person to the other, like watching a tennis match.

Their tormenter took a step closer to Usagi. She hadn't realized how tall he was until that moment. She had to crane her neck to meet his eyes. He leaned slightly down, the benign expression gone. A vague sense of menace was clear on his face.

"Non-cooperation will result in our talk taking a non-pleasant turn, Mrs. Yuy. I would advise you to answer my questions."

Grasping her upper arm with authority, he forced her out of the cell. When the door slammed shut, Jun Tanaka couldn't help but whimper. What the hell was he going to do?

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Barely an hour had passed since Usagi had been taken with her captor when the door to the cell opened. Jun could have cried in relief. He hated being alone and helpless. Usagi was shoved roughly into the cell and the door slammed behind her. Staggering slightly, she regained her balance and went to sit on the cot. Wincing slightly, she looked at Jun.

"My name is Usagi Yuy. What's yours?"

Knowing he had no choice but to play along, he whispered, "Jun Tanaka. Are you all right, Mrs. Yuy?"

She smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes. "I've been better Mr. Tanaka. Let's hope these fruitcakes let us out of here soon. I'm sure this is all a mistake."

Shifting slightly, she bit her lip as pain ran up her side. Jun gasped in horror as he caught a glimpse of the back of her shirt. Red had bled through in little streams all across her back. Shuffling over, he pulled the collar of her shirt down slightly and stared in horror at the dozens of little cuts on her back.

"What did they do to you?" he demanded, blanching as she removed her shirt, and he saw the damage more clearly.

From her shoulders to the top of her camisole, little cuts had been made in neat patterns up and down her back. There were six to a line, and at least five rows across. Usagi shrugged slightly and reached for the water and washcloth that she'd been given after her 'chat' with the kidnapper. Jun automatically wet the cloth and began to clean the little cuts as best he could. Usagi tensed slightly in pain.

"Non-cooperation has high costs here, Mr. Tanaka," she whispered. "You would do well to remember that."

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Duo and Wufei returned home that evening with a sense of frustration. After Setsuna had shared what she could with them, she had headed back to London. Mamoru had gone with her. The team hadn't made any real progress in the search for Usagi and Jun. In fact, there had been no progress at all.

Grimacing, Duo headed toward the kitchen, mumbling about cooking dinner, only to stop in his tracks. A shadow had moved. Automatically whipping out his gun, he barked,

"Who's there?"

Heero Yuy stepped slowly out of the shadows in the kitchen, his hands raised. Duo lowered the gun, safed it, and returned it to his waistband. "Heero!"

Wufei was also rather surprised to see him. "Yuy? What brings you here? Shouldn't you be in Japan, where it's more likely you'll find her?"

Duo had never seen Heero look so awful. The dark circles under his eyes attested to the lack of sleep over the past four days. Grunting slightly, he returned to his laptop, which was glowing dimly.

"Usagi isn't in Japan."

Duo and Wufei exchanged a glance. "How can you know that, man?" Duo sat next to Heero.

Heero's eyes burned with intensity as he stared at Duo. "Because I don't feel her there. She's here, somewhere in England. I know it. Quatre knows it, too."

It helped that Quatre, their empath comrade from the war, believed she was here. He hadn't been wrong yet. And Duo didn't doubt Heero or Quatre. The certainty burning in his eyes, and the way he could feel her presence made it clear: Usagi was somewhere close.

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Don't know where that came from, exactly…^_^;

And again, I own none of the stories/characters used in this chapter.


	3. A Turn for the Worse

She winced as she felt the baseball bat strike her leg, but refrained from screaming in pain. As it was, a small whimper escaped her lips, and Usagi hated the idea of showing weakness to her captors. Unfortunately, there wasn't much she could do to get out of the situation, because her hands were bound firmly above her head and attached to a rope dangling in the middle of the room. Mercifully, the beating stopped.

Taking a few deep breaths, she glared at the man wielding the baseball bat. He set it down against the wall, then sauntered towards her.

"Have you changed your mind yet, my dear?"

Resisting the urge to roll her eyes at the false warmth in his voice, she glared at him and growled, "Fuck you."

"Language, Mrs. Yuy," he chided, cupping her cheek in his palm. Usagi flinched away from him, but he held his hand steady and gazed into her eyes. To this point, he had ordered his comrades to avoid striking her face, for whatever reason. As he continued to stare into her eyes, Usagi did the only thing she could think of. She spat at his face.

He released her to wipe his face off, his eyes blank. Before Usagi could yell at him, he lunged forward and grasped her left shoulder, and pushed. Her eyes opened wide as his intention became clear. With her hands tied above her head, it was only a matter of time before her shoulder popped out of its socket. She gasped as she felt the muscles in her shoulder give way to his brute strength. He decreased the pressure on her shoulder and grasped her face with his other hand.

"You spit in my face again, Mrs. Yuy, and we'll see if I can rip your arm all the way out."

He shoved her back against the ropes binding her, then stepped away. As he headed for the door of the small room, he turned once more to Usagi. "Mrs. Yuy, your lack of cooperation over the past three days has been most frustrating. Try my patience again, and you may not live."

The calm, collected tone of voice he used left her shuddering in fear. As another of her captors began working on the knots binding her arms, she tried to prevent her left arm from falling too quickly. Her captor met her eyes briefly, and his expression was regretful.

Hauling her to her feet, he led her back to her cell, and, as was customary, provided a small amount of water and a washcloth. The door slammed shut behind her with a bang, but Usagi wasn't listening. Instead, she lightly fingered the set of keys she'd lifted from the man's pocket as he'd led her down the hall. Smiling grimly, she was thankful that Heero had taught her such useful skills while they were dating.

She knew that the interrogations would only become bloodier from here, and she wanted to make an escape attempt while she could still move. Nodding to Jun, she sank onto her cot, firmly grasped her shoulder, and bit her lip as she popped it back into place. Jun watched wide-eyed. For whatever reason, their captors hadn't questioned him yet, but every time he saw Usagi return with a new wound, his terror grew.

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Duo sighed and rubbed his face tiredly. Three days had passed since Heero had come to them with his request for help, and aside from the arrival of Quatre and Trowa, no real progress had been made. Frustrated, he kicked the trashcan with his bare foot only to blanch in pain and hop up and down, cursing.

Quatre looked up from his morning coffee. "Duo, what are we missing?"

Duo sighed. "I don't know, man. It's difficult to figure out what's going on with so little evidence and with the kidnapper's significant advantage. They had two full days to stash her before we knew something was wrong."

Trowa nodded silently in agreement. In the case of kidnappings, time was their enemy. He knew that the longer the kidnapping went undetected, the less likely it was to find the victim alive. He didn't want to be the one to mention that to Heero, though. The man had hardly moved in the past few days except to eat and use the shower. Looking at him in concern, Trowa blushed slightly as Heero turned to glare at him.

Time had only darkened the circles under Heero's eyes. Logically speaking, he knew that he needed to sleep in order to operate more efficiently, but every time he closed his eyes, all he saw was the petite form of his wife being surrounded by menacing shadows. Shuddering slightly, he held out his coffee mug to Wufei.

The Chinese man raised an eyebrow but poured Heero his coffee without comment. It wouldn't do to upset the unbalanced man.

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Ever since Haruka and Michiru had heard Hotaru's vision, they had been living on pins and needles. They couldn't help feeling trapped in the house they shared with Setsuna. The woman hadn't been seen for three days, and every time they called to ask what was going on, her secretary said she was too busy to speak with them. Growling in frustration, Haruka was about to scream when a key was inserted into the lock of the front door.

Michiru came downstairs from tucking Hotaru in and gazed affectionately at her love. Her lips twitched into a smile as she took in Haruka's expression. The door opened, and Setsuna stepped tiredly inside. Before Haruka could being her verbal bombardment, she said,

"I'm sorry I wasn't able to call, but we have a problem."

Haruka and Michiru waited with baited breath. They'd known this was coming.

"It's Usagi. She was kidnapped six days ago."

Setsuna flinched, anticipating Haruka's reaction. She didn't have long to wait. The woman's outraged bellow echoed around the house and startled a cat across the street.

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Waking from her restless sleep, she stood up from the cot. Wincing slightly at the pain blooming all around her body, she stepped lightly to Jun's bedside. She placed her hand over his mouth just in case he screamed, and shook him awake. He blinked in confusion as she removed her hand. Leaning in, she breathed into his ear,

"I have a plan."

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Well, maybe this story is helping me with creativity. I'll be posting a chapter of "Origins of Fate" today as well!

I own nothing save for my cell phone and my wonderful hot chocolate. Who would have pictured a blizzard in April? ^_^;


	4. Missing

"Are you sure about that? A Lear jet left Japan on Friday night and again on Sunday, destination unknown, each time carrying a sick person for treatment? And that didn't raise any flags for you?"

"No, sir. The Lear Jet is owned by Tanomu Corporation, the equivalent of America's "Make-a-Wish" foundation that gives terminally ill children their dream vacation. It is entirely possible that the two patients were, in fact, terminally ill."

Duo sighed in irritation. Just how blind could a person be? "Did you not see the security tapes? Didn't you notice in both cases the individual was unconscious?"

The uncomfortable pause on the other end of the call told Duo all he needed to know. Money had changed hands. Customs officials had looked the other way. Resisting the urge to yell at the man, he thanked him and hung up the phone.

Frowning, he immediately dialed the number of the pilot in both cases. At this point, he didn't care that it was three in the morning in Japan. Fifteen minutes and several threats later, Duo had their first real lead since the evidence the kidnappers themselves had left behind.

"Wufei, Ding, I have a possible lead here!"

Eyeing him warily, Wufei grumbled, "This had better be good, Maxwell."

"What if I told you a Lear jet left Japan on Friday evening, and the same Lear jet left Japan again Sunday evening, and both times landed in Ireland? What if I told you the pilot was given an extra $20,000 both times to ignore the fact that one of his passengers was unconscious? Would that be good enough?"

Wide-eyed, Wufei nodded. "Do we know what mode of transportation they used after they landed?"

Duo shook his head. "I haven't gotten there yet. Would you be willing to help? At this point, you're better at hacking into databases than I am." Lowering his voice slightly, he added, "Should we tell Heero?"

Wufei and Ding both glanced at Heero before shaking their heads. "We shouldn't tell him anything unless there's a concrete lead."

Duo nodded. "What about Setsuna? She might be able to speed up the process…"

"Again, no. Maxwell, your lack of discretion shames me."

"Hey! I'm just trying to help! I don't see you coming up with any amazing leads!"

"Maybe that's because I've been busy planning out possible rescue scenarios with Ding!"

"Guys!" Quatre interjected. "Please don't fight. We have enough to worry about as it is!"

Duo stuck his tongue out at Wufei. "I'll apologize if he does," he added childishly.

Groaning, Quatre leaned back in his chair. A soft exclamation from Trowa drew his attention. Trowa almost never made noise unless he wanted to.

"Trowa?"

Trowa looked briefly at Quatre before returning to his computer screen. "According to these records, the airfield Duo indicated supplies only one car rental service. At the approximate times of landing, a black Lexus was rented both times. According to GPS tracking of the Lexus, it stopped at a small farmhouse about an hour outside of Dublin owned by William and Mary O'Connell."

Eyebrows raised, Duo's only comment was, "Damn."

Trowa glanced at him briefly. "You aren't the only one who can be efficient, Duo. Commander Chavez, may I suggest a deployment to the farmhouse in question?"

Ding nodded. "Let me get Mr. C on the phone for approval." Turning to his team, he called for attention. "Guys, we have the best lead we've gotten. I'm going to talk to Mr. C about doing a deployment to the target location. In the meantime, suit up. Hopefully, we'll be off the ground in an hour."

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The helicopter flew low over the Irish countryside. Sparing a glance at his watch, Wufei noticed it was just shy of eleven in the evening. The element of surprise should be theirs. Ding conferred briefly with Bear, and raised his hand to indicate five minutes left until they arrived on site. The plan was for two teams of five men to zip line off the helicopter about one hundred meters from the house. One team would check the barn, the other would contain the suspects in the home.

Taking a deep breath, Wufei nodded as Ding signaled the thirty second mark and snapped his harness onto the line as Duo did the same on the other side of the helicopter. When the helicopter was fifty feet from the ground, the team began pouring out of the helicopter.

Louis was first off the helicopter, and he quickly swept the area for hostiles. Finding none, he assumed point on the team for the barn, while Ding led the team into the house. A short sprint and two flash-bangs later, they had a very surprised elderly couple held at gunpoint. It seemed their lead had led them astray. Hearing the all-clear from the barn team, Ding turned to Wufei in surprise.

"What the hell?!"

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Escaping had been more easily accomplished than Jun would have ever believed possible. One moment, he was pretending to have a seizure, the next, the guard was falling to the ground, a nasty lump beginning to form on the back of his head. Before Jun could sit up, Usagi was searching the guard's pockets for anything useful. She put his gun in the waistband of her tailored pants and grabbed the ring of keys from his belt. Finally, she unclipped his walkie-talkie and nodded to Jun.

After a brief struggle with the guard's inert form, they managed to lift him onto the bed and began tying his arms and legs with shredded sheets. Placing a sheet over his form, the two had closed the door of their cell and slipped into the duct above Usagi's bed.

About five minutes after entering the duct, Usagi had told Jun to stay put while she grabbed a couple things from the room they were about to pass. When she returned, her arms were laden with a black laptop, her purse and a first aid kit. Moments later, they reached the end of the duct, and, as Usagi had predicted, the garage.

Listening for any signs of activity, they slipped out of the duct and crept towards the black Lexus parked in the open-air garage. Usagi had slipped into the driver's seat while Jun crawled into the passenger seat. Without turning the lights on, she'd gunned the engine and sped down the gravel driveway towards the highway. Having no idea which direction to go but away from their captors, Usagi turned right onto the highway and accelerated rapidly.

Jun glanced at the clock. It was just after one in the morning.

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Returning from a mission gone bad was always difficult. Ding and the others had honestly believed they would find Usagi and Jun at the O'Connell's house. They were understandably surprised when they learned that the car rented from the airstrip was a replacement for the O'Connell's Lexus that had been totaled in a collision with a tractor the week before.

After an hour of questioning, Ding was forced to admit they were innocent and to apologize for their mistake.

In the meantime, their best lead had just evaporated. How they would find Usagi and Jun now was beyond him.

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Four hours later, Usagi pulled the car into a small gas station. When Usagi got out of the car with the laptop in her hands, Jun looked at her in surprise.

"What are you doing?"

"It's too dangerous to keep using that car." Usagi replied grimly. Entering the gas station, she purchased a map of the area and got directions to the nearest train station. On her way out the door, she saw a rack of clothing and called Jun over. Five minutes later, both of them emerged from the gas station in new clothing.

They had to run to make the train that would take them to England. Once on the train, Jun curled up to sleep and Usagi began studying the map she'd purchased. By the time the train arrived at Waterloo Station, she'd marked the route they had driven to the best of her ability.

Stumbling off the train, Usagi pulled Jun towards a small gift shop that was just opening for the day. After a brief conversation, the shopkeep pointed her in the direction of a cell phone stand. Fifteen minutes later, Usagi had a prepaid cell phone in her hand and was dialing the number of the only people she knew were in England.

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The team's daily briefing was interrupted by Wufei's cell phone ringing. Smiling sheepishly, he answered. "Hello?"

"Wufei? It's Usagi."

"Usagi?!" He started choking on his coffee.

Duo's head whipped around, and he quickly abandoned the briefing in favor of Wufei's cell phone. Wufei was listening now, writing feverishly on a scrap of paper. Thirty seconds later, Wufei hung up the phone and stood up.

"Wufei, what's going on?"

"Usagi and Mr. Tanaka are in Waterloo Station. She's going to trash the phone she used and activate another, and we're going to meet up with them in 95 minutes outside the Starbucks on the second level. We're supposed to call when we're fifteen minutes away. My guess is they're going to hide out until then."

Wufei said all this in a rush as he grabbed his gun and a spare clip. Since most of the team heard Wufei's explanation, they too grabbed their sidearms and headsets. Ding placed a call to Peter Covington's team, and in less than five minutes, they had a team of twelve assembled to go meet Usagi and Jun.

As they started their cars, Trowa slipped into the seat next to Wufei. Raising an eyebrow, Wufei commented, "I didn't know you cared, Barton."

"Quatre will stay with Heero." Trowa replied, looking straight ahead.

"Wufei?" His headset crackled. "Did Usagi say how they escaped or when?"

"No, she didn't, and I wasn't foolish enough to ask over an open line, Maxwell." Wufei began rubbing his temples. Sometimes, the braided pilot could be really thick.

"Let's get a move on. We've got less than 90 minutes until the rendezvous, and London is 85 minutes away." Louis grumbled.

"We could go most of the way with sirens blazing," Duo offered, which drew a smirk from the drivers of every car. It wasn't every day they got to drive two times the legal speed limit without fear of being pulled over.

"Maxwell, your occasional insight has proven to be valuable," Wufei allowed.

"I knew you loved me, Wufei!"

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So, there's that. Obviously, I have no idea about trains/transportation in Ireland and England, but this is AC201 or so, so I think it's safe to say there would be a train connecting Ireland to England in my world…


	5. Found

Wufei stared at his cell phone as they sped toward London. Turning it over in his hands, he couldn't help but wonder how Usagi had escaped from her captors, and ponder her cryptic statement.

_"I know who's responsible for this mess."_

Duo looked curiously at him from the driver's seat, causing their car to swerve dangerously. Yelping, Duo wrenched the wheel and pulled the car back into its proper lane. Wufei rubbed his temples and resisted the urge to give Duo's braid a good tug. Turning to look at the cloudy skies, Wufei murmured,

"It looks like rain."

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His personal secretary took the call. When she interrupted his meeting with several foreign dignitaries, Defense Minister Tanaka knew nothing good would come of it. After a two-minute conversation, he ended the call and resisted the urge to throw the phone across the room. His agents had failed. Taking a deep breath, he opened a file and dialed a number.

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Keitaro Yamamoto loved his job, but hated its location. As a member of Rainbow, he lived in England on an army base. Despite its security, Hereford was a long distance from the modern conveniences his wife enjoyed, and was too far from his friends for comfort.

So when his phone rang and he saw it was an international call, Keitaro assumed it was one of his friends and picked up the phone. "Hello?"

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Jun Tanaka had never felt more tired or confused in his life. After Usagi had made the call to her friends, he'd hoped to sit inside the Starbucks and wait for their rescuers to come. However, Usagi had made other arrangements. While she was on the phone, he'd purchased two bagels and some water.

Barely five minutes after she'd contacted her friends, they boarded a train heading South. They ended up sitting next to each other.

"Mrs. Yuy, why are we on this train? I thought we were meeting your friends?"

Usagi turned from her contemplation of the tunnel and smiled at Jun. "We are, and we'll be back in time. I wanted to make sure no one was following us. We'll head back to Waterloo at the next station."

Jun sighed, nodded, and offered her a bagel.

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Seventy-five minutes later, the Rainbow team had arrived at Waterloo Station. As planned, Duo had called Usagi to confirm their arrival. Donning earpieces and microphones, the team spread out in groups of two. After checking the sound level, Duo warned,

"Mrs. Yuy and Mr. Tanaka will probably be jumpy. I'd recommend you allow Wufei, Trowa or myself to approach them first."

Receiving ten affirmatives, they entered the station, mingling with other morning commuters. Having paired with Ding, Wufei led the way towards the escalators leading to the second floor.

As Wufei approached the Starbucks, his eyes swept the crowd, looking for his friend's wife.

"Wufei."

If Ding hadn't had the earpiece, he never would've heard his commander. Turning slightly to him, Wufei murmured,

"What is it?"

"Is that them?" Ding nodded surreptitiously in the direction of a couple standing just outside Starbucks.

Looking them over, Wufei shook his head. "She's blonde haired, and she didn't say anything about dyeing it before we got here."

Ding nodded and continued the search. A moment later, their earpieces crackled, and Trowa told the team,

"I don't see them, but I have a possible subject on the first floor. Male, about 180 centimeters tall, looks like he could be Japanese. Should we tag and bag him?"

Ding deliberated for a moment before he saw a police officer. Quickly gaining the patrolman's attention, Ding explained the situation, and the officer reached for his walkie talkie.

"Trowa, just mark him for now. The locals will help us out with him."

"Roger that."

Looking around once more, Ding's eye caught a glimmer of golden blonde hair. Nudging Wufei, he began to move toward the far end of the Starbucks. Approaching the couple that was reading a newspaper together from behind, Ding asked,

"Usagi Yuy?" He was unprepared for her reaction. Before Ding could so much as utter another word, he found himself face to face with Usagi Yuy, and she had jabbed the barrel of a gun into his kidney.

Wufei quickly stepped forward, arms discreetly raised. "Usagi."

The gun was gone as quickly as it came. Resisting the urge to massage his side, Ding nodded to them. "Glad to see you're safe."

Usagi smiled weakly. "I'm sorry for my reaction. I didn't recognize your voice, Mr…?"

"Domingo Chavez, but my team calls me Ding. If you'll come with us, we have several cars waiting to take us back to Hereford."

Wufei began walking next to Usagi, and saw her tense slightly when other members of the team quietly fanned out in a protective formation. Before she could comment, he murmured,

"They're friends, Usagi."

Nodding, she looked from Wufei to Ding. "Thank you for coming to help."

Ding nodded, and asked, "Are either of you in need of a doctor?"

Jun bit his lip and shook his head. Surveying him out of the corner of his eye, Ding couldn't help but feel that Jun Tanaka was not a strong man. As he attempted to engage the man in a conversation, he listened to Wufei and Usagi's whispered conversation.

"Wufei, Jun needs help."

Wufei cocked an eyebrow at her. "Why? He doesn't appear to be injured at all."

"Psychological injuries can leave deeper scars than physical ones, you know," she rolled her eyes.

"And you're attempting to tell me you're not injured? Heero will have my head if I let you wander around without medical attention for much longer."

Usagi shook her head. "It's not that bad. Mainly some bumps and scrapes. I'm more concerned for Mr. Tanaka. He hasn't spoken in an hour or so, and jumps at every little noise. I'm surprised he didn't start screaming when Mr. Chavez appeared out of nowhere."

Wufei grunted. "He seems overly weak to be in a government position. Care to tell me what that's about?"

Usagi remained stonily silent. "Of course you don't want to tell me. The cars are just to the left. Trowa is waiting there for us."

"Trowa came?" Usagi brightened slightly.

"Woman, we all came for you. Winner is waiting with your husband on base."

Rather than take offense to Wufei's comment, she beamed at him. "Thank you for taking care of him during this time, Wufei. It can't have been easy."

Wufei shook his head wryly as Usagi left his side and slid into the backseat of the car Trowa stood by. Turning to make sure Jun Tanaka was still being accosted by Ding, he muttered,

"Doctor Bellow, did you hear Usagi's request?"

"Yes, Wufei. I'll make sure I'm in Mr. Tanaka's car."

Nodding, he removed the earpiece and microphone, and entered the car. As Duo slid in next to him and Ding joined them in the backseat, he looked at Usagi in the rearview mirror. Sandwiched between Trowa and Ding, she looked extremely small, and he noticed she looked exhausted.

He looked away when her eyes flashed to his in the mirror. Duo broke the brief silence.

"Hey, babe. A trench coat and hooded sweatshirt combo is not a good look for you."

Usagi replied while looking out the window. "There weren't many options, Duo."

She leaned slightly into Trowa as the car accelerated. Yawning, she said, "Do you mind if I sleep for a while?"

Trowa said nothing, but wrapped an arm gently around her shoulders. Within moments, her body relaxed and she fell asleep.

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Doctor Bellow resisted the urge to give Jun Tanaka a good shake. Ever since he'd introduced himself, Jun had rambled, both about his experience as a hostage and about completely irrelevant things. Glancing at his watch, he noted nearly an hour had gone by since he'd entered into this inane conversation. As a psychiatrist, he was trained to be sympathetic to the plight of others, and he knew Jun would be having nightmares for a while, but the man had not been subjected to torture or forced to witness torture. From the sounds of it, he'd deluded himself into this all-consuming fear.

Realizing Jun had paused in his muttering, Bellow faced him and asked, "And how did that make you feel?"

And he prepared for another half hour of hell.

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Usagi awoke with a start as the car slowed. Jerking upright, she was unable to suppress a hiss of pain. She felt as though a spotlight had been turned on when the other four occupants of the car immediately looked at her in concern.

"It was nothing, just a bad dream," she mumbled, not expecting her friends to listen for a moment.

"Usagi," Trowa's quiet voice sounded in her ear. "What hurt you just now? You told Wufei you didn't need immediate treatment."

"I don't," she sounded defensive, even to her own ears. "It's just my shoulder that hurts. It was dislocated, but I popped it back in."

"Usagi, I might be called stupid, but even I know that's a lie. We still have half an hour before we get to Hereford and we have an extensive first aid kit. Or, we can stop at the hospital on the way and leave you there for a day. Easy way or hard way?" Duo asked, still watching the road.

"Easy way," Usagi grumbled, and shifted to remove her coat and sweatshirt. Keeping her arm close to her side, she removed the sweatshirt one-handed to expose her shoulders.

Trowa sucked in a breath and resisted the urge to exclaim out loud. Usagi's left shoulder was swollen and bruised, and there were a number of small cuts dotting her upper back, ending just above her camisole. Ding, however, was not so restrained. Swearing quietly, he gently touched one of the cuts and noted that Usagi didn't flinch.

"Those are old and shallow, Mr. Chavez. They shouldn't concern you."

Exchanging a dark look with Trowa, he nodded and reached down for the first aid kit they'd brought along. "Even so, Mrs. Yuy, I'll still clean those cuts out."

In the meantime, Trowa had gently examined Usagi's shoulder and determined that other than the swelling, it seemed all right. He guessed that a few days of inactivity would be enough to help her shoulder fully heal.

"Are you hurt anywhere else, Usagi?"

While Ding and Trowa were examining her back, Usagi had moved her legs and rested her forehead on them. Shaking her head slightly, she said, "The rest are just bruises. There's nothing we can do for them, but thank you, Trowa. How much farther, Duo?"

"Not far," Duo reassured her. "I'd say fifteen minutes or so, Usagi."

"Good," and she proceeded to hand the laptop and map to Ding, explaining how she'd managed to steal them.

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Never had four hours seemed so long in his life. Heero resisted the urge to look at the clock again, and instead continued pacing around the office like a caged animal. He didn't know why Quatre had bothered to stay with him—it wasn't like he was good company right now.

Sighing for what felt like the hundredth time, Heero's head snapped up as Peter Covington approached them and said, "They're just entering base now."

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Thankfully, the rain had let up. Usagi looked around at the military base two of her friends now called home, and half-expected to see Heero around every corner. When they turned into a parking lot attached to two buildings and Usagi saw her husband, it was only Trowa's restraining arm that prevented her from hitting her head on the ceiling.

The cars glided to a stop, and Trowa quickly opened the door and exited the car. Nodding to Heero and Quatre, he turned to offer Usagi a hand as she stood. Usagi wasn't looking around anymore. She had eyes only for her husband.

Two short steps turned into a run, and she hit Heero's embrace with enough force to push him back several steps. She felt his hands encircle her back protectively. She felt his face pressed into her hair. She felt the gentle drops of moisture that leaked from her husband's eyes. And she allowed herself to collapse into the safety of his arms and cry.

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So, this was kind of fun to write. Sorry it's been so long coming. School is insanely busy.

As always, I own neither Gundam Wing nor Rainbow Six. If I did, things might have gone differently.


	6. Compassion

Hello, all! I apologize for the delay, but life outside my computer often takes precedence over life on my computer.

Again, I don't own Gundam Wing, Sailor Moon, or Rainbow Six.

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After several minutes, Usagi pulled away from Heero and rubbed her eyes. Heero placed a hand on the small of her back to guide her into Rainbow headquarters. Upon entering the building, Usagi's eyes landed on Quatre. As she walked over to him, he smiled and offered her a cup of tea.

"Welcome back, Usagi. I hope you like it—the only choices were green tea or coffee."

Usagi beamed at Quatre and gave him a one-armed hug. "It's perfect. Thanks for remembering I don't like coffee."

Quatre laughed softly, the edges of his eyes crinkling as he smiled. "Like I could forget you crashing after your first cup of coffee."

She blushed slightly and turned back toward the others, taking a sip of her tea as she went. Walking over to Ding and Peter Covington, she watched them working on the laptop she had confiscated from her captors. After a brief introduction to Peter, she turned to the password-protected laptop.

"Any luck on the password so far?"

Ding shook his head. "Not yet. It'll probably take a couple hours to crack. In the meantime, we'll be sending a team out to reconnoiter the area you indicated on the map. My guess is that they're long gone, but it won't hurt to look around and see if they left anything behind."

Usagi nodded. "Please let me know if I can do anything to help. Do I need to give a statement?"

Ding shook his head. "Since Mr. Tanaka and yourself are diplomats, we're not allowed to do the debrief. Peter contacted the Japanese embassy in London, who agreed to send a representative down as quickly as possible. If you're up for it, we'll take care of the statements while your memory is still fresh."

Usagi nodded. "I think—"

At that moment, the door was thrown open. Later, Ding would swear he felt a breeze sweep through the room. A statuesque woman entered the room, only to be pushed aside by a sandy haired woman. She talked over to Heero, growling in Japanese,

"Where is she, Yuy?"

Usagi waved slightly. "Over here, Haruka."

The woman whirled around, glanced at Usagi, and stalked over. "You look drained. When's the last time you ate?"

Rolling her eyes and resisting the urge to blow Haruka a raspberry, she looked over Haruka's shoulder at Setsuna and bowed slightly. "Hello, Ambassador Meiou. I'm surprised you made the journey yourself."

Setsuna smiled at Usagi. "When two of my diplomats go missing, Mrs. Yuy, that's my business. My aide, Michiru Kaiou, is bringing in some equipment for the debriefing. I'll take Mr. Tanaka first."

Usagi nodded. "I believe Mr. Tanaka is using the restroom at the moment, but he'll be happy to speak with you. How long should I expect to wait?"

"We'll probably be about an hour. Mr. Chavez, do you have a conference room available?"

Ding shook his head. "I'm sorry, Ambassador. The best I can do is give you my office for a while. If you don't mind waiting for a minute, I'll grab a couple things I need and give you the space."

"Certainly. Thank you for your cooperation." Setsuna acquiesced with a smile. Turning to Michiru, she took the bag the woman silently offered her.

Michiru walked over to Usagi and handed her a duffel bag. At Usagi's questioning look, she smiled, and said, "We thought you might need some supplies. Mr. Tanaka can be outfitted rather easily by the team here, but you might have some trouble."

"Thank you, Ms. Kaiou." Usagi smiled. "I'll be waiting for my turn with my husband."

Nodding, Michiru stepped past Usagi, heading up the stairs to Ding's office.

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The next morning dawned clear and bright. Sipping his coffee, Keitaro Yamamoto prepared for what he knew would be his last morning with the Rainbow team. Everything would change today. What the Defense Minister had told him was disconcerting, and he wasn't about to sit by and watch his world change without doing something about it.

Kissing his daughter's forehead and smiling at his wife, he walked out the door.

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To say that she'd slept poorly would be an understatement. Heero had shaken her out of her nightmare, his shirt the only thing muffling her screams. Wufei and the others had burst into the living room, guns drawn and ready for a fight. Once she'd calmed down, she found she couldn't go back to sleep, and so she laid with Heero, his hands rubbing circles in her back.

Yawning, she smiled faintly as Wufei threatened to disembowel Duo. Apparently, Duo had added his playlist to Wufei's music player by mistake. While Usagi didn't buy the mistake excuse, it warmed her heart to think her friends hadn't changed after all this time. Retying her shoe, Usagi found herself grateful for Setsuna's thoughtfulness. The duffel bag she'd been provided had two sets of clothing along with a set of workout clothes. Jun had been similarly outfitted by the Rainbow team, but he was currently sitting by himself, separate from the group.

Finished stretching, she grasped Heero's hand and walked toward the track for an early-morning run. Heero silently kept pace with her, their usual conversation unnecessary this morning.

After running several laps, Usagi decided she'd run enough for one day. Slowing to jog around the track once, she waved at Haruka. Haruka smiled in return, having just arrived from the embassy.

As Usagi and Heero came over, members of both Rainbow teams were trickling in for their morning workout regimen. Ding turned at their approach and greeted them.

"Good morning. I'm not sure if you heard, but we sent a team to the farmhouse on the map, and nothing worthwhile had been left behind. However, we managed to crack the laptop's password this morning. Everything is in Japanese, so we're hoping one of you would be willing to take a look."

Heero nodded. "I can take care of that in a while." He moved over to his duffel bag to grab his water bottle.

Looking at Heero, Usagi turned to Ding, "I'm sorry, but wouldn't it be better to have an official of the Japanese government examine the computer? Ms. Kaiou or Ms. Tenou would both be well suited to the task, and are likely fully briefed in on matters that Heero and I wouldn't know about."

Ding nodded thoughtfully. "I guess that's a good idea. I'll call Ambassador Meiou and ask her to spare one of them for the next day or so. It shouldn't take too long."

At that moment, Usagi's attention was drawn by a glint of metal to her left. Pivoting, she saw Keitaro Yamamoto level a gun and cock it. His eyes were hard as he said,

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Yuy."

She thought she saw a hint of remorse flash through his eyes. Usagi could only watch wide-eyed as he pulled the trigger.

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Rei Hino hadn't slept well for the last week. Her best friend had been missing, and only recently found in England. So when something jarred her awake in the middle of the night, she knew it couldn't be good. Rising from her bed and telling her husband not to worry, she stepped outside and observed the wind blowing through the temple complex.

Gazing at the quarter moon that hovered low over Tokyo, Rei whispered, "Usagi-chan…"

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The retort from the gun was deafening. As she fell, Usagi marveled at the fact that the bullet wound didn't hurt. She heard three more shots as she fell to the ground. Duo grunted, taking the brunt of the fall. Before she could move, he rolled her slightly so he stayed between her and Keitaro.

Usagi heard an awful wheezing from over Duo's shoulder, and saw Keitaro's gun slip from his fingers as Keitaro fell to the ground.

"Clear," Haruka called, putting her foot on the gun and pulling it towards her. Her own gun remained pointed at Keitaro. Despite the anger in her voice, her aim was steady.

Quatre and Heero agreed that Keitaro posed no more danger, but still kept their sights on him. Ding stared in shock at his subordinate lying in a growing pool of blood. He'd seen enough gunshot wounds to know that Keitaro didn't have long to live. At least one lung was punctured, if not both.

At the all-clear, Duo rolled to his feet and helped Usagi stand. "You're not hit, are you?"

Usagi shook her head, her voice shaking, "No, I don't think so. You saved my life, Duo. Are you all right?"

He flashed her a smile. "I'm fine."

Usagi nodded and stepped around him. Only Trowa's restraining arm stopped her from kneeling by Keitaro. Looking at him, she couldn't help but ask,

"Why?"

He lifted his head to look at her, blood oozing from the corner of his mouth. "Because…Project Serenity will destroy…Japan. You cannot be…allowed to complete it."

The effort seemed to take what little strength he had left, and he slumped back, coughing up blood. Usagi nodded at his explanation—it was what she'd expected to hear. Even though he'd just attempted to kill her, she couldn't let him die. Not when she could do something about it. Nodding to herself, Usagi removed Trowa's hand from her arm and smiled gently at him.

"Usagi," Haruka growled in Japanese. "If you're about to do what I think you're going to do, don't. You don't have the energy to save him."

"I have to try," she stated. Her expression was peaceful as she knelt beside him, the knees of her clothing soaking up some of his blood.

Keitaro eyed her apprehensively, but wasn't able to speak as she placed a hand in the air over his head, and one over his heart. Haruka cursed quietly, holstered her gun, and placed her hand on Usagi's shoulder. At Usagi's smile, Haruka muttered,

"Michiru would kill me if I didn't help you."

Usagi turned back to Keitaro, and her hands began to glow.

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Jun Tanaka had always known something had to be special about Usagi, because most members of the project were men. As he watched her hands begin to glow, and Keitaro's blood began flowing backward, he knew he couldn't continue with his role in the project.

Bowing his head, he recognized his inability to do the job for the first time.

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Usagi ignored the gasps from behind her as Keitaro's wounds began to shrink and eventually disappear. She knew the risk of exposing her gift to others, but couldn't let Keitaro die a senseless death. Her hands glowed brighter for one moment, then stopped shining altogether.

Gasping, Keitaro clutched at his chest where the bullets had penetrated his lungs. Gazing wide-eyed at Usagi, he remained speechless. As Haruka helped her to her feet, Usagi smiled gently at him,

"The wounds are gone, but your chest may hurt for a few days."

At her display of compassion and forgiveness, Keitaro Yamamoto burst into tears.

Heero and Quatre gradually lowered their guns, neither surprised that he was crying. Nodding to Haruka, Heero walked over and helped support Usagi's weight.

As he gained control of himself, Keitaro pushed himself into a sitting position, wary of the others around him. When none sought to restrain him, he climbed to his feet, wincing slightly. With the exception of Duo and Wufei, the Rainbow members stared at him in shock. Where his shirt had been covered in blood before, not a hint remained. Even the bullet holes in his shirt had disappeared.

Turning to Usagi, he bowed from his waist, "Mrs. Yuy, I'm truly sorry for what I attempted to do. But I received a call about how dangerous you were to the project and to Japan."

Usagi nodded. "I thought as much. Do you know who contacted you?" Her eyes were serious.

"It was Defense Minister Tanaka, ma'am. I recorded the call on my phone." He refused to meet her eyes as he fished his phone from his pocket.

As the group listened to the recorded conversation and Wufei translated for Ding, a car glided to a stop at the edge of the field. Duo had his gun halfway drawn before he recognized Michiru and Setsuna. Both nodded at him and approached the group.

"Good morning, everyone. When we heard the report of shots fired, we came straight here instead of waiting at the office as we promised. What happened?"

Ding quickly relayed the gist of what happened, and he played the recorded conversation between Keitaro and the Defense Minister. Nodding, she turned to Usagi and Jun,

"This is serious. I knew there was a leak on the project, but to have it so high-ranking within the government is a major concern. Perhaps the Defense Minister is also responsible for your abduction. I'll make an appointment to speak with him immediately."

"No," Usagi cut her off. "Please wait to speak with him. We have a computer from the kidnappers that needs to be searched for information. We need as solid a case against him as possible. Besides, I have a plan." She'd spoken in Japanese.

Setsuna nodded her agreement. "Very well. Shall I simply invite both of you to our scheduled meeting in two days, then?"

Usagi smiled, grateful that Setsuna had cottoned on so quickly. "Please."

Peter Covington cleared his throat, "I'm sorry, but can you please explain what's going on here? Dealing with Japanese terrorists is one thing, but one of my men attempting to kill someone on my base is another matter entirely. No more secrets."

Although he hesitated as he spoke, the resolve in his eyes was clear.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Covington, but this is a classified matter that I can't share without permission of the Prime Minister and the Emperor themselves." Usagi stated regretfully.

"That's not entirely true," Setsuna began. "When I informed the Prime Minister of the situation yesterday, he gave me permission to brief the team here in a limited capacity if necessary. I think this qualifies. I have the briefing prepared. You can give if it you like, Usagi."

If anyone noticed the shift in formality between Usagi and Setsuna, none commented on it. Instead, everyone headed toward the Team-One building, expecting answers to their questions.

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Hard to believe how much time flies by when you least expect it. I will eventually finish this story and a couple of my other stories, but they take time, which is a precious commodity these days. I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter of "Project Serenity!"


	7. Past and Present

Hello, all. I hope you enjoy this next segment of "Project Serenity"!

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Usagi glanced over the briefing the Prime Minister had approved. The team was mostly assembled, the members of Rainbow opting for an answer instead of their daily routine. Duo and Wufei sat in the back of the group, arguing in Japanese with Jun. A quiet Keitaro sat near them. The main door was thrown open, and John Clark, "Mr. C" to Domingo's team, walked in. Nodding to Usagi, he took his designated spot at the front of the group.

Taking a deep breath, Usagi turned on her laptop and began typing in a series of passwords. Accessing the necessary program, she typed in another sequence of passwords, then nodded to Louis, who turned the overhead projector on. News clippings in Japanese and English appeared on the screen, dated nine years before.

"Project Serenity's roots are here." Gazing at the screen, she continued. "Nine years ago, the Emperor and Empress lost the majority of the imperial family through a series of odd accidents and illnesses. Less than a year later, the last direct relative of the imperial family was killed in an automobile accident. As a result of these tragedies, a wave of debate swept Japan about whether the imperial system should die out or continue in a modified form.

"In a referendum eight years ago, the government put the question to a vote. Overwhelmingly, the Japanese people voted to keep the imperial system by choosing a suitable replacement from among Japanese families with ties close enough to the imperial family to be considered of 'royal birth.' Furthermore, the government asked how the system was to continue, and were surprised with the results. A significant majority demanded a greater role for the future emperor or empress than their current ceremonial role."

Duo raised his hand. "Do you know who suggested the increased capacity for the emperor?"

Usagi shook her head. "It seems a large coalition of the government suggested the change, but no one person stood out as an advocate of the change. As you can imagine, the result cause some pretty strong debates among the Diet members, but in the end, they acquiesced to the demands of the people, and formed several groups to begin conducting the search for the Emperor's replacement.

"A number of criteria were utilized, not just a question of blood ties because of the new role society chose for the emperor or empress. Seven years ago, a list of approximately 1,000 candidates was presented to the Prime Minister and the Emperor. The list has been pared down over time, and today there are less than 10 candidates remaining. The committee I'm a member of is involved in the logistics of the future changes the government and society will experience upon the crowning of the new ruler. Mr. Tanaka's group is dealing with the protection of the identities of the candidates for the throne."

"How did you become involved in the project, and why would someone be trying so vigorously to kill you?" Ding asked, his head cocked to the side.

"I was interning for Vice Foreign Minister Darlian in my first year of college, and she recommended me to Ambassador Meiou, who was then working in the same committee I'm a member of. I joined the team less than a year later on a part-time basis, and became a full-time member two years ago. As far as why someone wants to kill me, as I said earlier, the choice of the people caused dissension in the government. Some people adapted well to the change, others chose to fight the change." Usagi shrugged.

"Another section of the project is, in fact, dealing with this problem as we speak," Setsuna spoke up. "It's resolution is critical to the success of the project. Hopefully, we'll have the problems wrapped up in the next month or so."

Peter Covington nodded. "If you don't mind, I think a lot of us want to know about what happened at the track this morning."

At Mr. C's confused look, Ding briefly elaborated on the resolution of Keitaro's assassination attempt. Turning to look at Keitaro, he nodded at Usagi to continue.

Usagi smiled slightly. "Has anyone ever told you how Heero and I met?"

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(Five years before)

Heero staggered down the street, flinching as one of his wounds tore open. Looking around, it occurred to him that he still had ten blocks to walk before he made it back to Relena's palace. Shrugging, he kept walking. He'd survived worse before, and he wasn't about to stop living now. Stopping at a traffic light, he waited as patiently as he could for the signal to turn.

What seemed like an eternity passed before he could safely cross the street. Wincing, he made it across the street before a wave of vertigo overtook him. Leaning against a light pole, he felt himself falling forward, and caught himself before he could hurt himself further. Grunting, he sat and reached for his cell phone. However, his vision was so blurry, he wasn't able to tell which way the phone was facing.

As the phone slipped from his fingers, his couldn't help but think about the monster that had caused his injuries; it was hideous, bright orange, and terrifying, even for the former Perfect Soldier. Jumping on it from behind had been rather stupid, but it was the only thing he could think of, since bullets weren't working, and the thing was about to kill a small child. He'd been thrown into a wall, but before the monster could charge at him, a wave of light attacked the monster, and Heero scrambled away. He'd watched from the shadows as a woman in a ridiculously short skirt fought the monster, and it dissolved into dust.

His last thought before he lost consciousness was that he felt cold from the rain falling in sheets onto his prone form.

-*-*-*-*

The next thing Heero knew was a sense of comfort and warmth. Stretching out his senses, he realized he wasn't alone in this strange place. Wondering if he was dead, and if he was in heaven or hell, his eyes began blinking open. As more sensations came to him, he realized he couldn't be dead, because when you died, you weren't supposed to feel like you'd been hit by a truck.

Coughing, he forced his eyes all the way open and attempted to sit up. Gentle but firm hands pushed him back down. Heero followed the hand that burned an impression into his bare chest to an angelic face framed in wisps of golden hair.

"I wouldn't try to move just yet, if I were you. Your wounds were quite severe."

Ignoring the advice, Heero gripped her arms and flipped her onto her back, grabbing his gun as he went and pointing it at her temple. Ignoring her indignant squawk, he growled,

"Who are you? Who do you work for? Where am I?"

She glared at him and refused to answer. As the silence dragged on, Heero noticed two things. Her hair and clothing was still damp from the rain, and she smelled faintly of jasmine. The next thing Heero noticed was that although he was sore, his wounds had vanished. Waiting expectantly for an answer, Heero didn't miss the flash of pain that went through her eyes.

Loosening his grip on her arms slightly, he continued to stare at her and noticed the pain in her eyes remained. Perplexed, he realized that his left knee was getting wetter. His eyes flashing to his knee, he noticed the blood slowly absorbing into his slacks. Setting his gun down, his left hand moved to the bottom of her shirt and lifted it slowly.

"What are you doing?" She gasped and attempted to squirm out of his grip, a blush forming on her cheeks.

Not to be deterred, Heero glared at her, and she stopped struggling. She hissed in pain as her shirt was peeled away, revealing a gash in her side that hadn't been tended to yet. Heero rolled off of her and dragged her to her feet. Settling her on the edge of the bed, he grabbed the rather large first aid kit he'd noticed on the bedside table.

Removing some rubbing alcohol and gauze, he quickly cleaned her wound.

"My name is Usagi Tsukino," she murmured softly. "I'm sorry if I startled you earlier."

Heero prodded the gash and muttered, "Heero Yuy. This needs stitches."

"No, it doesn't." The conviction in her voice cause him to look at her. "Trust me, it'll be gone in two days."

Grunting, Heero eyed her speculatively. "You never answered my questions. Who do you work for and where am I? What did you do to me? How did this happen?" He pointed at her side.

Usagi couldn't resist rolling her eyes. "I'm an intern for Vice Foreign Minister Darlian, and you're in my apartment. And I didn't DO anything to you. You were injured, and I helped heal your wounds. As far as my side goes, I was dragging you out of the rain and I bumped into something. Who do you work for?"

"I also work with the Vice Foreign Minister. You need stitches," he reiterated. "Wait, you did what?"

She shrugged and ignored his question. "I'll tell you what, Mr. Yuy. I'll make a bet with you. I bet you $50 this wound will be gone in less than two days."

Heero didn't bet. He didn't carry on conversations with normal people, but something about her was intoxicating. He found himself wanting to see her again, so he nodded.

"You have two days to defy thousands of years of medical treatment. I'll see you Thursday."

Picking up his shirt and unfolding it, he abandoned her apartment for the rainy streets.

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Usagi smiled slightly at the memory. Ever since that day, she'd gained new friends who were truly kind to her. Turning to the group at large, she continued,

"Any questions?"

Ding hesitantly raised his hand. "How do you heal people, Mrs. Yuy? Do you know what gives you the ability?"

Usagi shook her head. "I've just been able to heal people for most of my life. I've never questioned how or why." Pausing for more questions and seeing none, she continued. "Well, if it's all right with everyone, I think we'll conclude this briefing."

Hearing no objection, she powered the laptop down and slipped it back into Setsuna's bag. Walking over to Setsuna and Michiru, she bowed slightly and said,

"Ambassador Meiou, the Rainbow team was able to decrypt the laptop today, and were wondering if you could spare either Ms. Tenou or Ms. Kaiou to sift through the documents?"

Setsuna nodded. "Certainly. I'll have Michiru stay for the rest of the day, and if needed, she can continue working on the laptop tomorrow."

Usagi thanked the older woman and turned to Heero. "Are you ready to go?" he asked her quietly.

She nodded and threaded her fingers through his. "Are the others coming?"

He shook his head. "Just us."

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The drive across the base to Wufei and Duo's home was comfortably quiet. As Heero parked the car, Usagi wandered into the kitchen and smiled at the pictures adorning the fridge. Duo hugging his girlfriend Hilde from behind. Wufei and Sally Po arguing with each other. All of Heero's and her friends at the wedding.

She smiled as Heero slid his arms around her waist and his familiar musk invaded her senses. Turning around, she gazed up at him quizzically. His eyes darkened as he leaned in towards her and stole a kiss. As Heero's lips moved to her neck and settled there, Usagi's eyes fluttered closed. She gasped as his armed tightened around her waist and carried her towards their makeshift room.

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An hour later, Usagi and Heero lay facing each other. Heero gently stroked her face and rubbed her back in soothing circles, watching as her eyes closed and her breathing evened. He tensed slightly as he heard the door open, and almost immediately relaxed as he recognized Duo's voice.

Looking at his wife's peaceful face which was relaxed in sleep, Heero thought about the past week. Ever since they had started dating, Heero had vowed he would protect her. In the past week, he'd failed miserably in that promise. Gently touching his forehead with hers, he murmured,

"I will protect you from everything."

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So, there you go! A little bit of the pasts of the characters came in, and I'm thinking of including the past in the next couple chapters as well for character development.

As always, I don't own anything except my laptop and my coffee mug. Please tell me what you think of the most recent installment of the project!


	8. History

Life has been crazy, but in a good way. Sorry this has taken so long to get out to everyone, and I hope it lives up to expectations!

I don't own any of these shows/books.

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Usagi leaned her head against the car window. She did _not_ want to do this, but she saw no other way. Glancing at Jun, she noticed the man looked like he hadn't slept well. She sighed and turned to look at the busy London streets. The Japanese embassy was only a few blocks away, and while she knew Setsuna and Michiru were waiting for them, she didn't relish the thought of confronting the Defense Minister. She was slightly comforted by the fact that Heero and Quatre had insisted on accompanying her, but her stomach still rolled uneasily.

But the evidence Ding and his team had uncovered over the past two days was uncontroverted. The Defense Minister had not only had a hand in their kidnapping, he'd also ordered her assassination.

As the car slid to a smooth stop outside the embassy, Usagi squared her shoulders for what she knew would be a long morning. As she stepped from the car to follow Jun, Heero placed his hand on the small of her back and guided her into the building.

Crossing the threshold into the building, the group placed their bags on the metal detectors. Usagi couldn't help but raise her eyebrow when the metal detector didn't go off as Heero went through, even though she knew that he'd slid his gun into the waistband of his pants as he did every morning. Catching her look, Heero smirked briefly at her before turning to Setsuna and Michiru.

"Good morning, Ambassador," Jun bowed stiffly.

"Good morning Mr. Tanaka, Mrs. Yuy. I'm pleased to see the trip from Hereford didn't take you too long."

"Not at all, Ambassador. Thank you for sending Ms. Tenou with a car this morning." Usagi replied formally, bowing as well.

Setsuna gestured toward a row of closed doors. "We'll be meeting the Defense Minister in Conference Room B. It's just down the hall on the left. Mr. Yuy, Mr. Winner, you may either wait here or in my office. Which would you prefer?"

Quatre shrugged. "Whichever is more convenient for you, Ambassador."

Setsuna nodded. "Here, then. Once the Minister arrives, we shouldn't be more than thirty minutes. I'll send someone to inform you if the meeting takes longer."

Quatre and Heero nodded in thanks before they settled into the plush waiting area.

Setsuna turned to lead Usagi and Jun down the hall. "Remember that others will be listening as well. Be careful in what you both say."

At the far end, they turned left into a large conference room. The Defense Minister was already waiting, impatient.

"Good morning, Minister." Setsuna bowed gracefully. "May I introduce two of my subordinates to you, Mr. Jun Tanaka and Mrs. Usagi Yuy?"

The Minister nodded stiffly. "A pleasure. This is my aide, Mr. Saito Yamamoto. Ambassador, may I ask why you called this meeting?"

Setsuna smiled slightly. "Of course. Please allow us to settle in, and I'll explain everything. Mrs. Yuy, the projector is just behind that panel."

Usagi nodded and stepped to the far end of the conference room. Activating the projector, she slid her laptop from her bag and connected it to the screen. The images Michiru and Haruka retrieved from her assailant's laptop began cycling through the screen. She noticed that the Minister had paled noticeably. Clearing her throat, she slid into her chair and addressed the group.

"I assume that you are both briefed in on Project Serenity?" She paused. When both the Minister and Yamamoto nodded, she continued. "Last week, both Mr. Tanaka and myself were forcibly taken from our homes by the same group of men and interrogated on the project. We managed to escape, and in the process, we commandeered one of their laptops. The information was encrypted, but we've retrieved several files that are of a major concern. The first is this e-mail, indicating an intelligence leak from the upper echelon. Mr. Yamamoto, I believe the e-mail is yours."

The tall man said nothing, but leaned back in his chair.

"The e-mail details the names and home addresses of several members of the Project, with my name and Mr. Tanaka's name highlighted. The next e-mail came from your IP address, Minister. You can read it for yourselves, but I find it particularly interesting that the message authorizes 'lethal force' in my case, but no harm in Mr. Tanaka's. Do you care to explain your reasoning?"

"Those e-mails are probably fake." The Minister replied, his face smooth but turning slightly red. "How do you know they're reliable? You said yourself that they came from your kidnapper's computer."

Usagi nodded calmly to Jun. Gazing at the table, he stuttered, "Minister, we know these are from you because of a recorded phone call between you and a member of Rainbow. In that call, you ordered him to kill Mrs. Yuy."

Yamamoto started slightly and glanced at the Minister, his eyes wide. "We have no idea what you're talking about."

Usagi shrugged. "Say what you will, Minister. Your voice is a perfect match to the recording. The Rainbow member you called chose to inform us of your call rather than attempt to kill me. Separately, the e-mail and phone call could just be a set-up, but together, the evidence is uncontroverted. What I want to know is why."

The Minister ground his teeth together, his jaw locked. His eyes were bright with fury.

Unsurprised by his silence, Usagi continued. "Once we had this information, several members of Rainbow took it upon themselves to examine how the kidnappers managed to spirit both Mr. Tanaka and myself from Japan to Ireland. They discovered a plane, flying under the Tanomu Foundation, that was actually a government plane. They also discovered, after talking to the pilots, that they received a bribe from the Defense Department to look the other way. I must admit, your plan was masterful, but you underestimated Mr. Tanaka and myself. Both of us want to live too much to go quietly away."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" The Minister growled.

"We know that we can't press charges against you with this evidence, Minister," Tanaka mumbled. "But we will release this information to the press if you—"

His speech was interrupted as the Minister bellowed, angry beyond words. The Minister slammed his notebook onto the table and charged Usagi and Jun. He wasn't prepared for Usagi to slam a hand into his throat and flip him to the ground. Before he could recover, she twisted his arm close to the breaking point and put her knee on his neck, applying slight pressure.

Yamamoto went after Jun, but before he could reach the man, the door opened, and Heero and Quatre stepped in, guns drawn. The room went quiet. Quatre looked around, his eyes wide with shock.

"We heard a commotion, Ambassador. Is everyone all right?"

Setsuna nodded, glaring at the Minister. "Yes, Mr. Winner. If you could please call security in, I would appreciate it."

Quatre wheeled around and disappeared through the conference room door. Heero stood where he was, alternating between aiming at Yamamoto and the Minister. Usagi seemed to have the Minister in hand, but he wasn't taking any chances. He couldn't help but smirk in satisfaction as the Minister winced, Usagi's knee digging into the side of his neck.

Security flooded into the room then. Usagi surrendered her hold on the Minister and backed toward Heero. The Minister and Yamamoto were quickly led away. Heero noticed Usagi was calm, but pale. Leaning towards her, he whispered,

"Are you all right?"

She nodded, absently rubbing a hand over her heart. "I'm fine."

Setsuna sighed. "Well, that was interesting. Mr. Prime Minister, what are your orders for Mr. Yamamoto and the Defense Minister?"

Heero started. He hadn't realized the video phone on the wall was actively transmitting until the man on the tiny screen moved.

"Hmm…" The Prime Minister's eyes were serious as he gazed at them. "Perhaps a flight back to Japan for now. We can address his insubordination better from here."

Setsuna nodded. "It will be taken care of. Now for the matter of Mr. Tanaka and Mrs. Yuy. Should they remain here in England for a while, or would you prefer them to return to their posts in Japan?"

"Mr. Tanaka should return as soon as possible. I believe his role in the Project is nearly at an end, so if you could finish up anything you're working on, Mr. Tanaka, we'll complete the transfer you requested by the end of the month. I would prefer Mrs. Yuy remain in England, at least through the Ball at the end of the month. His Majesty and I will be in England then, and will need support staff in place for the visit."

Usagi bowed slightly. "Of course, sir. Please send me anything I can help with to prepare for your arrival."

The Prime Minister nodded. "I guess that about takes care of things…Oh, and Ambassador Meiou? Excellently handled."

"Thank you, sir." Setsuna bowed. "We look forward to your visit next month."

The video phone went black.

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If Dave Smith had known he was going to make a world-altering discovery, he might have dressed more appropriately. It all started when his gravity maintenance system began malfunctioning. As a contingent of Preventers scouring the moon to remove rubble from the Eve Wars, he'd spent the morning collecting bits and pieces of metal for incineration. When his gravity function began malfunctioning, he requested to return to base to correct the issue. Two other Preventers, Sally Po and Lucrezia Noin, offered to go with him. They hovered just off the surface as Smith walked, unable to employ thrusters to do half the work.

Suddenly, his boot stepped on an uneven patch of moon rock, and the ground gave way. Crying out, he fell in slow motion as the moon's weak gravity didn't have the same effect as Earth's. Moments later, he was lying at the base of a canyon staring up at the stars. As Noin's voice crackled in his headset, he gasped as he realized he was looking at something highly unusual. A set of ancient looking stairs ran up the side of the cliff. Next to the stairs was a small sign, its letters part of the Roman alphabet. An arrow pointed right, the words "Mare Serentitis" engraved next to it. An arrow pointed to the left, but its direction had long since faded.

Looking to the right, he could make out a row of columns, some of which had collapsed; all were in the shade of the cliff. He found himself whispering in response to Noin's increasingly loud queries. "I found something. You might want to come see this."

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Heero and Quatre were again waiting as Usagi spoke with Setsuna. Jun had already made his exit, preparing to return to Japan. As Usagi nodded at something Setsuna said, she rubbed at her heart again, paling slightly. Setsuna gestured toward Heero and Quatre.

Usagi smiled slightly as she walked over to them. "I just need a few minutes to gather some files from the ambassador, then we can head back. Do you mind waiting?"

Both shook their heads. Usagi turned to follow Setsuna down the hallway.

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Noin and Sally gasped in shock as he pointed out the columns in the shade of the cliffs. "Is your camera still working?" Noin demanded of Sally.

Sally nodded once. "Let me set it to transmit back to base, then we'll head out. Base, are you getting this?"

"Yes, Preventer Po. You are transmitting." The radio operator replied.

"Good. Alert Lady Une to the situation here. We'll wait for her directions."

Less than two minutes later, their headsets crackled again. "Noin, Sally, what's going on out there?"

"Preventer Smith made a discovery, ma'am." Noin replied quietly. "A set of stairs leads down to a sign which appears to read 'Mare Serentitis,' and is pointing toward some ruins."

"I want a full recon of that area. Immediately." Une ordered.

"Roger that." The three replied, stepping cautiously forward.

Sally kept the camera angled toward the columns, so she didn't understand at first when Noin cursed under her breath. Widening the focus, she, too, gasped in shock. They hadn't just found some strange columns. There was an _entire_ _palace_ behind them. Gaping, they passed through the columns, barely pausing to notice the strange markings that adorned each one. As they neared the palace, Noin observed that it appeared to front a large crater.

They continued in silence to a set of stairs. Gazing at the tall, magnificent doors, the three continued forward. Noin was the first to place her hand on the door.

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Usagi had just received a large stack of files from Setsuna when she felt it. Her heart fluttered slightly, and she heard an echo of a conversation. The stack of files slid from her unfeeling fingers.

"Mrs. Yuy?" Setsuna queried as an aide scrambled to pick up the files.

After a long moment, Usagi focused back on Setsuna. "I apologize, Ambassador. I'm fine." Her eyes were glassy, focusing on something far beyond the embassy.

Setsuna nodded and handed the stack back to Usagi, who slid it into her bag. "I'd suggest you go home to rest for a bit. It was a trying morning."

Usagi nodded absently. "Thank you, Ambassador."

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The door slid open with a soft creak. Noin passed out flashlights and the three entered the palace. The floors and walls looked like they were made of the same material.

"Was there a battle here or something?" Smith asked uneasily, pointing to several places where the floor had buckled.

Noin shrugged. "No way to tell without some sort of evidence, which is long gone. That's probably a good guess, though. But time hasn't destroyed everything. Can you see that painting?"

Sally nodded. "I'm filming it now. It looks like a drawing of this palace with a body of water in front of it. You don't think that crater was a lake once, do you?"

Lady Une's voice crackled over their headsets. "Most scientists agree there was surface water on the moon at one point. I guess this reinforces their theory."

"Hmm…" Noin murmured, her eye drawn to a door that was lying on its side. Stepping carefully over it, she looked up, her eyes widening. "Sally, come here! I've never seen so many books before!"

"Books?" Sally asked, tripping over the door in her haste. She, too, gasped, her eyes widening as she took in the massive library. "This must be an entire wing of this place! Do you think we can even read these?"

"I don't know, but don't touch them. They're probably very fragile after all this time."

"How much time do you think has passed since someone lived here?"

"No idea, Mr. Smith. Maybe one of these books can tell us." Noin gestured helplessly.

Smith nodded thoughtfully. He turned to look at the library one more time before following Sally further into the palace. They walked quietly together, peering into rooms here and there. Suddenly, Sally stopped walking.

"Do you see that door? It's not damaged like the rest are…"

Smith nodded. "Let's check it out." He led the way toward the door. He tugged and pushed at the handle, but it wouldn't give. Grunting in frustration, he shoved his shoulder into it, with little effect.

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Heero and Quatre had been ready when Setsuna led her back to the waiting area. Quatre called for their car as Heero wrapped his arm around Usagi's waist and led her to the steps. As they left the embassy, their car slid to a smooth stop, Haruka at the wheel.

Usagi stumbled suddenly, her breath leaving her in a _whoosh_. Only Heero's arm around her waist kept her from falling. Helping her quickly into her seat, he urged Haruka to drive.

"Usagi?" He shook her shoulder. She didn't respond, her eyes gazing through him.

Suddenly, she went rigid, her eyes opening wide. "Soko ni haichau dame!" Her body went lax just as quickly, her eyes rolling into her head.

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Smith grunted with effort as he rammed the door again. With satisfaction, he felt it give a little. He was preparing to ram the door again when they heard it.

"No!"

Sally and Noin looked around, wide-eyed. Smith instinctively drew his gun. "Who's there?"

At first, they saw nothing. Then, an indistinct shape began taking the form of a woman in a ridiculously short skirt. Wings protruded from her back; most noticeable about her was the shining crescent moon on her forehead. She stood before them, not completely solid, not simply a mirage.

"My name is Sailor Moon. I am a champion of love and justice, and this was once my home. If you open that door, you will die."

Smith rolled his eyes, skeptical. "Some sort of hologram is telling us not to go in there. What do you want to bet it's a recording?"

"I am no recording." Sailor Moon replied, her eyes hardening. Idly, Sally noticed that she couldn't see the woman's face, only her shockingly blue eyes.

"I live on Earth. My senshi and I have defended humans for many years, most recently in Japan during the Eve Wars. I would not lie to you. If you open that door, you will die. Only those of royal lineage can enter without penalty."

Sally looked at her doubtfully. "No offense, lady, but you sound crazy. Nothing here could work after how long this place has been abandoned."

Sailor Moon shook her head. "As long as I am alive, _everything_ works here. But even if I was gone, the enchantment protecting that room would remain. You cannot enter without grave risk to yourselves."

Sailor Moon didn't notice until it was almost too late. Smith had gone back to the door and shoved it further open. As she felt the rush of energy flowing from the room, she threw herself between Smith and the light, knowing that it would do little good. She was nothing more than a shadow of herself here.

"No!" She cried, flinging her arms wide. The energy burst diminished only slightly as it spread outwards and struck Smith, flinging him into the far wall. Sailor Moon's form flickered and disappeared.

As Sally and Noin ran they heard the door slam behind them. Fearing the worst, they knelt beside Smith and sighed in relief when he blinked up at them, looking around in confusion.

"Sally? Noin? Smith? What's going on out there? Come in, over…"

Sally gazed at Noin mystified before she cleared her throat. "We're here, Une. Did you see that last bit?"

"What are you talking about? I lost your transmission more than five minutes ago. Get your asses back to base!" The woman snapped. Noin could picture Une's glasses flashing as she ordered them.

"Roger that." Helping Smith to his feet, they exited the palace.

"This might be a stupid question…" Smith began. "But where am I? I don't remember this place…"

Sally and Noin gazed at each other in consternation. Urging Smith to hurry, they headed back to base, their one goal a medical exam for the addled man.

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When Usagi had fainted, Heero had nearly lost it. Only Haruka's calm reaction and admonishment to leave Usagi be had kept him from shaking her until she woke. The last five minutes felt extremely long. Suddenly, Usagi's eyes fluttered. As she woke, Heero gently cupped his hand to her cheek.

"Are you all right?"

"Yes," she nodded slowly. "I'm sure you'll hear all about this from your Preventer friends in the morning. I don't know how long they can keep it from the media either…Haruka, Mare Serentitis is back."

Haruka nodded, not completely taking it in. When she finally processed Usagi's pronouncement, she turned to stare at Usagi wide-eyed, nearly causing an accident. "It's back? How? When?"

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There you go. As you can tell, the history of the Moon Kingdom will play a role here. I'll try to keep it as true to canon as possible.


	9. Revolution

Here you go, the next installment of "Project Serenity!"

This might be the last one for a while, so please enjoy it!

Three notes: it will be apparent why later, but I'm pretending technology has advanced rapidly enough that blood test results are immediately available in 201 AC. I also can't remember Yuuichiro's last name. I think it's Kumada, so that's what I'll be addressing people as in this chapter. Finally, the manga spells Mare Serentitis in a variety of ways. I'm sticking with the one way to avoid any confusion.

Enjoy!

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Lady Une sighed tiredly. She'd spent the better part of the past two days informing a large number of politicians and the public about the discovery on the Moon. Many had scoffed at her, but a large delegation from Japan had not only believed her, they'd offered to send people to help with the cataloging and translation projects. Une was on her way to meet one of them now.

'Dr. Ami Mizuno…' Une pondered. The name wasn't unfamiliar to her, because Ami Mizuno was one of the youngest doctors in the world. She had graduated with honors from Tokyo University at the tender age of 20, and had quickly established herself as an expert in a variety of medical fields, publishing new and groundbreaking research frequently. But Une hadn't known she knew anything about cataloging ancient objects. Rounding the corner, she approached the woman in question, and idly noted that her hair was a shocking shade of blue.

"Dr. Mizuno?" Une made it a question. At the petite woman's nod, she held out her hand.

"Lady Une. I'm the head of the Preventers."

"Yes." Ami nodded. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Lady. I hope I'm not intruding."

"Not at all." Une waved Ami's concern off. "If you'll come with me, we can head directly to the site."

As they both slipped into spacesuits, Une began questioning Ami. "Pardon me for asking, but what's your connection to this? Your dossier didn't indicate an interest in ancient artifacts."

Ami smiled. "When I was in college, I took an archaeology class and interned with the Preservation Ministry. The government authorized them to go into tombs of emperors to preserve any documents they found. I helped catalog and preserve two tombs worth of documents. Some of them had strange writing on it that obviously wasn't classical Japanese."

Une nodded in understanding. "You think it's the same language."

"Well, the only samples of the writing the ministry saw were on television, but they looked markedly similar. I'll have to inspect the writing in person to be sure, but if it is the same, a couple members of the group were working on a translation project the last time I talked to them."

"Why didn't they come?" Une raised an eyebrow.

Ami shrugged. "Their official duties with the government kept them from making the journey. One of my friends is actually helping to write the program, but it isn't safe for her to travel right now."

"Safe?" In spite of herself, Une was interested.

"As I understand it, a terrorist cell found out about her involvement in a classified project and attempted to kill her twice. She's currently staying somewhere safe." Ami frowned in concern, even though she knew Usagi had the best of the best protecting her. "The other member is in poor health because he's about 80. If the text looks like the same language, I'll send copies to them to run through the program. Is there anywhere you'd like me to start?"

Une nodded, leading the way up the stairs. She didn't give Ami the time to stop and appreciate the palace. Moving quickly past a group heading into the library wing, she walked to the door that was still sealed. Since the incident with Noin and Sally, she'd had the door sealed off with tape.

"This wasn't released to the public, but this door released some sort of energy when some of my people tried to open it." Une spoke softly. "I think the writing on it is some sort of warning. If you could try to translate this so we can figure out what we're dealing with, I'd appreciate it."

Ami nodded, taking out a miniature camera. "At first blush, these characters look like the ones I remember. I'll take a couple sample pictures to send back to Earth."

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Usagi smiled as Haruka cursed at the slow pace of the driver in front of them. Haruka had shown up that morning, Rei Hino—Kumada, Usagi mentally corrected herself-in tow, and offered to take her shopping for clothes to get through the next month. She couldn't help but remember her excitement at seeing her friend for the first time in half a year, but she frowned when she remembered what her friend was sacrificing to be here.

_Flashback_

_ 'Rei-chan!' Usagi squealed, hugging her best friend tightly in the foyer of Duo and Wufei's house. 'What are you doing here?'_

_ Rei smiled. 'Someone had to keep you out of trouble, Usagi-chan. And I highly doubt your husband could follow you into a public bathroom without getting a few strange looks.' _

_ Usagi blushed. Rei decided she'd rather not figure out what that was about, and instead turned to Heero. 'Not to say that you can't protect her Heero, but you can't be with her 24/7. This way, we can split things up and share duties.' _

_ Heero had nodded as Usagi frowned. 'You know that I don't want you to feel like you have to protect me! You should be out living your life!'_

_ 'I made the choice to be here, Usagi-chan.' Rei smiled gently. 'Yuuichiro is watching over Grandpa and the temple, and I'm here to watch over you. I won't lose you.' _

Present

Usagi frowned at the memory, but knew there wasn't anything she could do to change Rei's mind. As the car slid into a spot in the parking garage, Usagi's expression brightened at the idea of shopping for clothes.

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Two hours into their shopping trip, Rei, Usagi, and Haruka had managed to buy enough clothing to get Usagi through the next month. They'd even found her a formal dress for the ball that would commemorate the arrival of the Prime Minister and Emperor. As they walked by a shoe store and Usagi paused to admire a pair of silver shoes, her phone rang. She briefly checked the caller identification before she answered.

"Hello, Ambassador Meiou. What can I do for you today?" Usagi cocked her head to the side, listening. "Of course. We're only a few minutes from the embassy. We'll be there soon."

Usagi hung up the phone and turned to Haruka, pouting. "Will you drive me to the embassy?"

Haruka rolled her eyes and reached over to muss Usagi's hair. "Let's go."

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Rei realized she should have seen it coming, but she didn't sense the danger until it was too late. Usagi was walking slightly ahead of Rei. The sudden noise of gunfire was unmistakable. Rei could only watch horrified as Usagi uttered a low cry and pitched forward. She fell to the ground and lay unmoving.

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Heero ended up at the shooting range with the others after his morning workout. A friendly competition had ensued, and Heero was surprised to note he'd won, but only by a slim margin. He'd been somewhat distracted all morning, and it was showing in his skill level. He couldn't put his finger on it, but something had been bothering him for the past twenty minutes. Lowering his gun to reload it, his right shoulder twinged slightly in pain. Mystified, he glanced at it briefly, the pain gone as quickly as it had come.

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Haruka fired a shot at the rooftop the sniper had perched himself in as she knelt in front of Usagi's prone form. Rei frantically shielded Usagi's prone form as she roughly shook the blonde's shoulder.

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Hundreds of thousands of kilometers away, Ami Mizuno yelped softly and dropped her clipboard. As her assistant retrieved it for her, Ami rubbed her arms together, murmuring, "Usagi-chan."

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Makoto Kino was working in her pastry shop when she felt it. The tray of bon bons she'd been carrying fell through her numb fingers, the tray clattering to the floor. "Usagi-chan…"

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Minako Aino was in front of a camera for her latest movie when she felt it. Her face drained of color, ruining the shot. Ignoring her director's irate bellow, she looked up at the sky. "Usagi-chan."

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"Usagi-chan?"

Usagi groaned, clutching a hand to her shoulder. "I'm all right, I think. Why do people keep shooting at me?"

Rei smiled tightly. Usagi sounded remarkably like she was whining, a habit Rei thought she'd broken her friend of years before.

"Get her into the embassy, Rei." Haruka snarled.

Rei nodded, grabbed a fistful of Usagi's shirt, and helped her to her feet. They ran the remaining half block to the embassy as Haruka laid down cover fire. Gasping, they stepped into the cool, calm lobby. A security guard came up to them.

"I'm sorry, ladies, but the embassy is closed-"

"Call a Code Red, Mr. Umemoto." Usagi smoothly cut across him and flashed her identification. "Get Ambassador Meiou."

The guard could only nod, wide-eyed, as he finally noticed the blood streaming through Usagi's fingers. Whirling around, he shouted at the other guards to seal the exits and entrances. Usagi felt the world tilt on its axis as she slumped forward. Only Rei's supportive arm kept her from falling on her face. The last thing she heard before she lost consciousness was Rei shouting for a doctor.

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Teams one and two were enjoying a rare lunch together when Ding and Peter's cell phones vibrated simultaneously. Flipping his phone open to the alert, Ding choked on his food. He met Peter's eyes briefly before signaling for the group's attention.

"Listen up, people. We have a problem. Full deployment in ten minutes."

The teams split quickly, asking no questions. Less than ten minutes later, the teams met at the assembly area, climbing into two trucks that had been requisitioned for them. Ding noted that though Heero, Quatre, and Trowa weren't members of the group, Peter let them into his truck and lent them microphones. Ding shrugged as he climbed into the front seat and the truck headed toward London. He didn't have time to worry about tag-alongs.

"Mike check." Ding ordered. When he'd received confirmation from every member of the teams, he launched into an abbreviated version of his text message alert. "The Japanese embassy issued a Code Red twenty-five minutes ago. We are to aid local SAS troops in sealing off the two blocks surrounding the embassy. They also requested assistance finding a sniper that took a couple potshots at some embassy personnel."

Ding was unsurprised when Trowa quietly volunteered to help track the sniper down. The man had proven himself a skilled tracker when they'd been searching for information on Usagi.

"There's one more thing. Heero, Usagi's been shot."

"What?" Duo asked incredulously. "But she wasn't even at the embassy today!"

"Apparently, they were attacked at a mall and fled toward the embassy. Obviously, whoever planned this anticipated their retreat route." Ding replied.

It was deathly silent in Heero's truck bed. It was through sheer willpower that Heero refrained from hitting something or someone. This was the second time in as many weeks that someone had tried, and nearly succeeded, in killing her. His wife. His everything.

Even though he wasn't looking at any member of Peter's team, the men couldn't help but shrink back as Heero's glare passed over them, promising a painful death to whoever had attacked his wife.

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Usagi blinked rapidly, slowly regaining consciousness. She flinched slightly when she realized she didn't know the man standing at the foot of the bed, but relaxed just as quickly when she realized Rei sat next to the bed, her hand pressed firmly against Usagi's shoulder. Blinking more slowly, she took the room in.

"Mrs. Yuy?" The man spoke clearly. "My name is Ian Feld. I'm a doctor on staff here at the embassy. Can you understand me?"

Usagi nodded. "Where's Ms. Tenou?" She demanded.

Rei gently shushed her. "Don't worry about that right now. Doctor Feld has something important to tell you."

Dr. Feld smiled. "I'm afraid we haven't treated your shoulder just yet because we were running some tests to determine the extent of the damage. My team also ran a blood test to confirm your blood type in the case of transfusion, and we came across something rather interesting. Since your medical chart doesn't have a notation, I have the honor of being the first to congratulate you."

"Congratulate?" Usagi asked blankly.

"Mrs. Yuy, I have the pleasure of informing you that you're pregnant."

Usagi blinked, sure she hadn't heard the man correctly. "Pregnant?"

Dr. Feld nodded, his smile fading. "Unfortunately, the medication we were planning to give you when we patch you up is one that is known to harm unborn children. I'm afraid we'll have to treat you without the benefit of any pain killers."

Usagi, still processing the news, gazed at him blankly. "If that's what you have to do." She replied uncertainly.

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Heero ground his teeth in frustration as Usagi didn't answer his seventh call. Rainbow had quickly arrived at the embassy and were currently helping seal the area off. Trowa had spoken briefly with the SAS site commander before heading out to track the sniper while Quatre and Heero were stuck outside the embassy. The Code Red had resulted in a complete lock down of the embassy, with no one gaining entrance.

Quatre smiled sympathetically at Heero before he turned back to Ding and Peter. As Heero's thumb rested on the speed dial button for his wife, a gentle hand on his shoulder stopped him. He turned slightly and acknowledged Rei with a curt nod.

"I've received clearance to bring you and Quatre inside." Rei stated softly, smiling tiredly.

Quatre approached the duo, a tense smile on his face. "Let's not waste any time."

Rei nodded and led the way up the steps, handing Quatre and Heero security passes as she went. The trio quickly passed through security and headed down the stairs and into the infirmary anteroom. Two SAS troopers stood guard at the door into the main infirmary. Rei, Heero, and Quatre tendered their identification, and quickly gained admittance to the room.

Setsuna sat next to Usagi, looking alertly at the door when it opened. She relaxed only slightly when she recognized the group. Usagi was lying in the bed, her shoulder bandaged and her eyes glazed. Heero recognized the look—Usagi was in shock. His eyes met hers, and Usagi smiled slightly, her lip trembling and her eyes filling with tears.

Heero stepped to the bed, Setsuna silently surrendering her seat to him. He nodded in thanks and sat carefully next to Usagi, careful not to jostle her too much. She leaned forward and rested her forehead against his chest, her left hand clutching his shirt. Heero gently wrapped his arms around her.

A soft knock at the door interrupted their reunion. Doctor Feld entered the room, his head buried in a file.

"Mrs. Yuy, I've brought those pictures you asked for. Oh, hello." He stated pleasantly, smiling at Heero and Quatre. "Should I leave them on the table?"

"No, I'll take them. Thank you for everything, Doctor." Usagi replied quietly, holding her left hand out for the file.

Quatre peered curiously at the file. Usagi smiled slightly and flipped it open. It took Quatre a moment to make sense of the image, but then he gasped slightly. Heero alternated between staring at the image and Usagi in confusion.

"It's a sonogram." Usagi explained shyly. "We're having a baby, Heero."

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Ami yawned and stretched her sore muscles. She'd been sitting in front of her computer terminal for quite some time, working on the translation program that Usagi had sent her.

"How's it going, Doctor?" Sally Po asked softly, stepping into the lab, eyes alight with curiosity.

"It's going." Ami replied with a tired smile. "The translation program provides an extremely rough approximation of the writing, but I'm not sure it's totally accurate."

"May I?" Sally asked, slipping into a chair next to Ami.

"Of course." Ami turned the monitor to Sally.

Several minutes passed in comfortable silence. Sally studied the translation on the screen, her brow furrowed in concentration. "I see what you mean. But the gist of it is that only members of the royal family can enter that room, right?"

Ami nodded. "The translation indicates that it's some sort of 'Prayer Room.'"

"Makes you wonder who lived there, huh?" Sally smiled, leaning back in her chair. "What happened? Where did they go?"

Ami shrugged. "I actually did a little research into some odd occurrences in Japan during the wars. Buildings being leveled, damage to major landmarks…"

Sally straightened, staring at Ami wide-eyed. "But Japan was neutral during the war. They practically closed their borders to everyone. How on earth would destruction of that level ensue?"

"When I was growing up, there was the legend of the Sailor Senshi. Do you know it?" Sally shook her head, so Ami continued. "These horrible monsters started appearing about 10 years ago. They could somehow drain people's energy. People began appearing who could fight the monsters. They saved the people, sometimes healing them. Their leader was called Sailor Moon. They disappeared a few years back, after a television station was leveled."

"Do you have any substantiation?" Sally demanded.

Ami shook her head. "The group was very careful to avoid pictures or interviews. But the Japanese government knew all about it. There's a confidential file documenting the group, but I don't think there's very much in it."

"I think we should tell Une about this in the morning. It's the closest connection we've found so far, and if those people are still living, maybe we shouldn't be cataloging things in the palace." Sally shuddered. "I don't know what it is, but that place feels kind of like a masoleum. So desolate and lonely, abandoned with everything left behind."

Ami looked surprised. "I have to admit I feel very peaceful there. Something about the beautiful architecture relaxes me, but it does feel sad there, doesn't it?"

"How's your friend, by the way?"

"Usagi?" Ami automatically glanced at the small picture by her desk, smiling. "She's recovering quickly. Apparently, she's going to have a baby."

Sally nodded, smiling. "Shall we go rest?" Ami looked longingly at her computer. "We can do this the easy way or the hard way. It's nearly midnight, Ami. Don't make me drag you out of here."

"Fine." Ami muttered, blushing slightly. "At least you care enough to be difficult."

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Ever since the incident, as Usagi had come to call it, she'd been sequestered on the Hereford base. She didn't mind that most days because she was with her friends. She hummed slightly as she finished styling her hair, excited to leave the base for the first time in two weeks. Slipping her suit jacket on, she pirouetted to make sure she hadn't missed any details in her preparations. The Emperor and the Prime Minister were arriving, and it wouldn't do for her to look like a hobo off the street.

Opening the bathroom door, she smiled at Heero as he silently offered her a breakfast plate. She ate quickly, and was just placing her dishes in the sink when someone politely rapped on the front door. Quatre opened the door, greeting Setsuna and Haruka.

"How are you, Ambassador?"

"I'm doing well, Mr. Winner. Thank you for asking."

"How's Trowa doing? We haven't seen him since he started tracking that guy." Duo interjected, lazily waving at the duo.

"Last we heard, he was in Japan running a lead down." Haruka replied. "He should check in this evening."

Duo nodded. "You guys want some breakfast? Wufei cooked eggs and bacon."

Setsuna laughed. "Thank you, Mr. Maxwell, but I'm afraid we don't have time for that today. We're really just here to retrieve Mrs. Yuy. Are you ready?"

Usagi inclined her head. "Yes, Ambassador. Where will the Prime Minister and Emperor arrive?"

"Here on base." Setsuna replied. "Then, a convoy will take them to the palace in London."

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That night, the members of teams one and two were shanghaied into security for the ball welcoming the Emperor and prime minister to England. One of the most notable guests, Relena Peacecraft, arrived early, and, to the surprise of Ding and Peter, tightly embraced Usagi. The duo moved off to the side laughing aloud. Relena was beautiful in a simple light green dress that fell to the floor. But she couldn't compare to Usagi. The tiny blonde was radiant, her eyes alight with excitement, the light blue of her dress complementing her eyes and pale skin. Her wound had even healed quickly enough that the outline was barely noticeable.

As Relena's husband, Mamoru Chiba, walked into the ballroom, Usagi caught his attention. Ding was amused to note the way Heero's hands clenched when Mamoru and Usagi embraced briefly. The foursome walked toward Ding.

"Relena, Mamoru," Usagi spoke familiarly. "This is Domingo Chavez, one of the men responsible for coordinating security this evening."

Relena smiled at Ding as he shook hands with Mamoru. "A pleasure, Mr. Chavez. Thank you for undertaking such a monumental task."

"Not at all, Miss Peacecraft." Ding replied with a smile. "It was quite enjoyable."

Mamoru laughed softly. "Yes, I'm sure that working with Odango has been the joy of your life."

"Hey!" Usagi protested, swatting his arm. "I'm not _that _bad."

"Sure, sure." Mamoru rolled his eyes. "She ever tell you how we met?"

Ding shook his head, his gaze alternating between the two as Mamoru continued. "She threw a test at me. I guess she didn't like her grade. Then again, I wouldn't either. It was an awful grade." He snickered, a teasing glint in his eyes.

Usagi blushed. "You walked right into my paper, Mamoru. It's not like I was throwing it at you or anything."

"No." Mamoru acknowledged. "If you were aiming for me, I'd be sure to push the person next to me out of the way."

Relena laughed. "Her aim's not that bad, Mamoru. Maybe you were just a good target."

She and Usagi exchanged a smile as Ding laughed. "You three seem pretty close, Usagi. Didn't you intern with Miss Peacecraft in college?"

She nodded, smiling. "But we knew each other before then. Mamoru and I dated when we were younger. He was studying abroad and he met Relena, and fell in love with her. Relena and I have been friends ever since."

Heero quietly excused himself, not wanting to do something he would regret in polite company.

"Really?" Ding asked, wide-eyed.

Relena nodded. "Usagi saw how much Mamoru and I loved each other, so she let him go. Then, I introduced her to Heero, and I guess we're even now." Relena winked.

Usagi rolled her eyes. Ding's microphone crackled and he politely excused himself. Mamoru offered to get drinks for the pair, and headed across the crowded dance floor.

"Relena, it's not like we wouldn't have figured it out eventually."

"Maybe not, but Heero sure wasn't making any moves until we went to that dance club on my birthday." Relena replied with a smile.

Usagi nodded, gracefully conceding the point. At that moment, the lights flickered slightly, signaling the official arrival of the Prime Minister and Emperor. Relena smiled at Usagi and flitted toward the front of the ballroom to greet them. Usagi walked to her table, and slid into her seat. She slid her hand into Heero's under the table and took a deep breath. The Emperor approached a podium and cleared his throat.

"Good evening. It is our honor to be your guests this evening. Your hospitality and kindness has been beyond all expectations, and we thank you. I ask for your understanding as I deviate from my prepared remarks. The Prime Minister and I have agreed that it is best for all parties involved if the general public learns of the status of a project near and dear to my heart. Mister Prime Minister?"

The Prime Minister, a tall man with graying hair, bowed to the Emperor. "Thank you, Your Majesty. As many in this room know, a project has long been underway to appoint an heir to the Imperial throne of Japan. Through an arduous process, the list has been narrowed to three people, all of whom are in this room tonight. But before His Majesty announces our decision, I wish to give some background on the project."

"The project began for the simple reason that the people of Japan did not wish to see the imperial system fade away entirely. It was dubbed 'Project Serenity' because of the paramount goal of creating a peaceful society. His Majesty's reign name, 'Heijo,' means peaceful place. He wished for his successor to be one who could help the Japanese people attain peace with the Earth Sphere Unified Nation through cooperation. Even though many candidates possessed the requisite qualities for and desire to maintain peace, it is apparent to both His Majesty and myself that one is best suited for the task."

"Naturally, once chosen, the individual will be given time to adjust to official duties, and then in one year's time, be subject to a vote of the general populace. If a majority of the people approve of our choice after one year, that individual will be coronated upon His Majesty's passing."

The Emperor cleared his throat and stepped to the podium once more. "Ladies and gentlemen, it is my pleasure to announce to you and to the world who will lead Japan into the future. Mrs. Usagi Yuy, will you please join us?"

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So there you go. Hopefully interesting enough to keep you patiently waiting for more.


	10. Discovery

Enjoy

A brief note: I promise that all attacks used by the Senshi/Tuxedo Kamen are real attacks from the manga or the series. Some of them sound kind of silly, but they're Naoko Takeuchi's creation, not mine.

"No man shows greater love than when a man lays down his life for his beloved." ~Flyleaf

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Whispers filled the large room as everyone turned to look at Usagi. She gently squeezed Heero's hand under the table before she stood, her shoulders back, a soft smile on her face. She walked quickly toward the Emperor and the Prime Minister, looking neither left nor right.

"Ho-ly shit." Duo breathed, staring at her as she walked by. His earpiece crackled slightly.

"None of you knew?" Louis asked softly.

Wufei snorted. "Hell, no. Yuy doesn't look surprised, though. I bet he knew."

"Quiet." Ding ordered. "Time for that later. I'd suggest someone keep an eye on the gentleman at table three. He looks pretty pissed."

Duo craned his neck to stare at table three. A tall man, likely in his early thirties, glared at Usagi as she curtsied to the Emperor. One hand was clenched into the tablecloth, the other clutching a glass so hard Duo was surprised it hadn't broken yet. The Prime Minister gestured to the podium and Usagi stepped to it.

She paused for a moment and bowed slightly, smiling at everyone. "Good evening. Unfortunately, I learned of this the moment you did, so please excuse my poor speech." She took a deep breath. "When I was sixteen, I was contacted by the _Kunaicho_. At first, I was unsure if I was willing to be a candidate. However, I met with His Majesty and the former Prime Minister Tanaka, who shared with me their dream of a peaceful world."

"I am honored that His Majesty and the Prime Minister feel that I am the best candidate to achieve their dream. I will do my best to help maintain peace in Japan, and by cooperating with the ESUN, help ensure the wars of the past never return to haunt us. Over the next year, it will be my personal mission to learn as much as I can at His Majesty's side, and apply those lessons to ensure stability and peace for all. Thank you." Usagi bowed slightly again, smiling.

She stepped away from the podium, applause the only other noise in the ballroom. The Prime Minister briefly approached the podium to tell the press about a news conference he would host the next morning, then returned to the Emperor's side. The crowd gradually returned to chatting at their tables, shooting furtive glances Usagi's way.

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Ami Mizuno was enjoying a peaceful evening on the moon base when Sally Po ran into her lab, eyes alight with excitement. Not pausing to explain, she grasped Ami's wrist and dragged her to the communications room next door. Sally flung Ami into a chair and turned her to face the giant video screen.

Ami's eyes widened as she read the caption at the bottom of the screen: Japanese Prime Minister and Emperor announce the heir to the Imperial Throne of Japan, Usagi Yuy.

She turned to Sally, her mind blank as she took in the woman's expression. Before either could comment, the door was flung open and Lucrezia Noin entered.

"Ami we have a slight problem with one of the items we're archiving. Can you come with me?"

Ami nodded and stood quickly. "What's going on, Noin?"

"Do you remember the project to catalog all the books in the library?" At Ami's nod, she continued. "Yesterday, one of the scientists photo-cataloged an entire book. Today, she was inspecting a couple pages and realized that they'd changed."

"They what?" Sally sputtered, eyes widening.

"You can see it for yourselves, but yesterday there were only two paragraphs of text on the two pages, and today, there's more writing and a faint drawing."

"A drawing of what?" Ami asked quietly, closing her eyes. She had a feeling she knew exactly which book Noin was referring to.

"It looks like a woman, Dr. Mizuno." Lady Une gestured the trio into the room. "A blonde woman, an upturned crescent moon on her forehead, and a crown in her hair."

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Usagi didn't talk much as she followed the Prime Minister and the Emperor to their table. The Prime Minister dismissed her with a curt nod and a small smile. Usagi curtsied to them both and turned to make her way across the ballroom. Before she could get very far, Relena met her, wide-eyed. Usagi couldn't help but laugh at the expression on Relena's face. Her eyes sought out Heero's as he moved across the room to join her.

"You look like I just ran over your puppy." Usagi teased.

"You may as well have." Relena grumbled good-naturedly. "I had no idea I was speaking to potential royalty all night."

Usagi rolled her eyes. "Would it have really made that much of a difference?"

Relena shook her head thoughtfully. "No, I guess it wouldn't have."

Usagi looked around the room. Setsuna smiled brightly at her from her table. Haruka was glaring in the direction of another table, Michiru's hand on her shoulder, when Usagi felt it. She shivered slightly, body going rigid. In the same moment her eyes met Mamoru's horror-struck eyes from halfway across the room, the middle of the room shimmered slightly and an inhuman roar rattled all the glasses in the room.

The partygoers fell silent, staring in shock at the three creatures that slowly solidified in the middle of the ballroom. The first one to solidify flicked its tail, gazed at Relena with a hungry expression on its face, and launched itself across the room, roaring,

"ENERGY!"

Heero didn't stop to think. He pushed Usagi and Relena out of the way, and the youma slammed into him so hard he couldn't catch his breath. Its hands (if they could be called that) wrapped around his throat and shoved him against the wall. He felt energy beginning to drain from his limbs even as he struggled vainly against the ugly creature. A roaring sound began to fill his ears as his vision became fuzzy. Before he could completely lose consciousness, he heard an angry, masculine voice shout,

"Tuxedo the Smoking Bomber!"

The youma was blasted away from him. Heero felt himself falling, but before he could hit the ground, gentle hands caught and supported him. Tuxedo Kamen leapt several meters back, ignoring the youma for the moment. His face was hard and angry as he passed Heero over to Quatre.

"Keep him safe." He snarled, whirling around to throw roses at the other youma before he leapt back into the fray.

"Heero?" Quatre's low, calm voice drew his attention. He knelt down behind the table, feeling his pulse. "Are you all right?"

"So cold." Heero gasped, shivering. His lips trembled, slightly blue.

Quatre frowned, slipping out of his tuxedo jacket and placing it over Heero. When his shivering didn't abate, Quatre drew Wufei's attention. The Chinese man stepped over to them, his eyes on the battle as he removed his jacket and gingerly placed it over Heero. Usagi arrived at that moment, a wide-eyed Relena in tow.

"Heero," she gasped, placing a hand on his chest. The man's color began to improve immediately, and his breathing came easier.

"No." Heero grasped her hand and pushed it away. "You don't have the energy."

"I have enough energy for this." Usagi insisted, attempting to put her hand on Heero's chest again, only to be pushed away.

She huffed and glared at him. Before she could continue, she heard gunfire from directly behind her. She turned, and couldn't help but stare as Wufei calmly discharged his weapon at one of the monsters.

"Wufei," she tugged at the back of his shirt nervously. "That won't do any good. It'll only draw their attention here."

Wufei shrugged her off, grunting. "Maybe those soldiers need some help, woman."

A quick glance at the battle told Usagi that Wufei was right. Sailor Pluto and Tuxedo Kamen were fighting one monster, and Sailor Uranus was attempting to hold another at bay. Usagi watched, horrified, as the third monster struck Sailor Neptune and she flew across the room like a rag doll. As she crashed back to the floor, the monster landed on top of her, pausing to lick its lips.

Usagi clenched her fists. 'Where's Rei?' She quickly stretched out her senses and found her friend's warm, red energy near another pocket of dark energy. Usagi quickly realized that Rei would never make it in time, and that her friends would die if she didn't do something. She stepped slightly away from Wufei as she jerked on the delicate chain around her neck. It snapped and she raised it above her head, the crystal glittering slightly in the ballroom. The monster pinning Sailor Neptune down began to lengthen its claws, preparing to kill her.

Ignoring Heero's whispered "no," she glanced at him briefly, her eyes impassive.

"Moon Eternal, MAKE-UP!"

With a burst of power, Usagi transformed into Sailor Moon. Not pausing to make a speech, she leapt across the room and kicked the monster pinning Sailor Neptune down. It flew several meters across the room and struck the monster that Sailor Uranus was battling. Sailor Moon quickly knelt beside Sailor Neptune, a silver flash traveling from her fingers into Neptune. The aqua-haired woman quickly regained her feet and touched Sailor Moon's shoulder briefly, smiling as she leapt across the room to join Sailor Uranus.

The monster that she'd kicked glared at her, its body tensing to charge. Sailor Moon quickly raised her hand above her head and pulled her staff to her.

"Starlight Honeymoon Therapy Kiss!"

Barely pausing to confirm that the monster turned to dust, Sailor Moon also leapt the distance of the room to join the others. The five of them made quick work of the other two monsters. In a matter of moments, the battle was over. Sailor Pluto and Sailor Moon exchanged a quick look. Sailor Pluto nodded gravely to the smaller woman and stepped back with a minute bow.

Sailor Moon knelt, the tips of her fingers brushing the floor of the ballroom. She placed her right hand over her broach, closing her eyes. Those who remained in the ballroom, with the exception of the sailor senshi and Tuxedo Kamen, were forced to shield their eyes as she began glowing brighter.

"Moon Cosmic Power!" Sailor Moon cried out, the energy exploding from her.

Wufei carefully opened his eyes as the glow began to recede, and noticed Ding swaying across the room. His eyes were oddly blank as they closed and the man fell to the floor. Wufei observed that except for the former Gundam pilots, Relena Darlian-Peacecraft, and the sailor senshi, no one else was conscious.

Duo whistled softly, his thoughts echoing Wufei's. The braided man sauntered over to Sailor Moon, eyes mischievous.

"Cool light show, babe. Why aren't we zonked out like everyone else?"

"Impertinent." Sailor Uranus snorted, glaring at Duo and opening her mouth angrily.

"You already knew about us, thanks to Heero." Sailor Moon replied, cutting smoothly across Sailor Uranus. "There's no point in hiding ourselves from you."

"But I didn't know about you. I only knew about Mamoru." Relena countered, staring intently at Tuxedo Kamen as he shimmered slightly and became Mamoru once more.

Sailor Moon shrugged. "We trust you, Relena. There's no reason for you to be kept in the dark."

As though that closed the matter, she turned slightly to Heero. The man's energy had been fully restored, and he glared at Sailor Moon as she shimmered slightly and transformed back to Usagi. As her legs gave out under her, she felt herself caught in Heero's arms and clutched to his chest.

"Usagi-chan!" The three senshi cried as one, Sailor Pluto swooping down to check her.

"I'm fine." Usagi replied calmly, shivering slightly.

"No, you aren't." Haruka snapped as she de-transformed. "What were you thinking, transforming like that? You don't have the energy to be doing—"

"I fully appreciated the risk, Haruka." Usagi cut across the older woman, her eyes flashing. "I knew, and I took the risk anyway. What's done is done, and there's no point in arguing about it."

Haruka stared at Usagi for a moment, a pole-axed expression on her face. Then, in a move that shocked the others, she gracefully fell to a knee and bowed her head.

"I apologize, Princess. I overstepped my bounds."

Usagi nodded and smiled softly. "Thank you, Haruka, but there's no need to apologize."

The sandy-haired woman simply bowed her head once more before she stood. A slight laugh from across the room drew their attention. Sailor Mars approached the group, her hair windswept. Her eyes were full of mirth.

"It's great to see everyone getting along."

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Two hours later, an exhausted Usagi was helped into a car by Heero. She smiled briefly at Michiru as the woman waved and leaned into Heero's side. As the car started back toward Hereford, Usagi buried her face in Heero's chest and fought a laugh as she listened to Ding's excited conversation with Duo. The man had no memory of the fight.

She allowed herself to relax and quickly fell asleep. Heero tightened his arm around her shoulder, and couldn't help but remember the night when Usagi had told him of her past.

*Flashback*

They lay in bed, Heero running his hands through her hair. He knew Usagi wasn't sleeping because she occasionally reached up to intertwine her fingers with his. He heard her sigh in the darkness.

"What is it?" he murmured softly.

Even though he couldn't see it, he sensed that Usagi was chewing on her lower lip, a nervous habit of hers. She blew out a breath that ruffled her bangs and wafted across his face.

"It's nothing." Usagi replied in a small voice.

Heero grunted and pulled her closer. As curious as he was, he couldn't force her to tell him. He resumed running his hands through her hair, a deep silence falling about the pair once more. Usagi broke it without warning. Hands clenching into his tank top, she murmured,

"I was a soldier once."

Heero's breath caught, certain he hadn't heard her correctly. "What?"

Usagi slid back far enough that Heero could see her eyes in the dim moonlight filtering through her window. "I was a soldier once, Heero."

Heero internally cried out in denial, but he couldn't fight the truth of it in her eyes. "How? Why are you telling me this?"

Usagi slid closer to Heero, and he numbly put his arms around her shoulders. "I wanted to tell you before you decided to come to Japan with me. I didn't want you to be with me, then find out years down the road." She breathed.

Heero clenched his hands in the back of her shirt. "I don't know…" he trailed off uncertainly. "How?" he repeated numbly.

Usagi shook her head and buried it in Heero's shoulder. "It was a long time ago. I just wanted you to know."

Heero shook his head, eyes darkening. "You couldn't have been a soldier. You were even younger than I was during the war."

"I'm not talking about your wars." Usagi whispered so quietly Heero almost didn't hear her. "My war started more than 1,000 years ago..."

Usagi had told him about the Silver Millenium's rise and fall, about her rebirth as Usagi Tsukino, and the war she'd fought at the tender age of fourteen. Battle after battle, she and her friends persevered against the darkness, and defended the human race. Heero didn't want to believe her. He made a small noise of disbelief in the back of his throat. Usagi correctly interpreted the sound.

"How can I make you believe?" She asked softly, gently brushing his bangs out of his eyes.

Heero closed his eyes and shook his head back and forth. "I don't know, Usa. I just don't know what to do with this."

Usagi rolled her eyes and slid away from him. Standing in front of him, she raised her brooch over her head and shouted,

"Moon Eternal, MAKE-UP!"

Heero shielded his eyes from the light. When the light faded, he looked at Usagi, and found he couldn't focus on her face. He could only focus on a crescent moon glowing dimly on her forehead, and the expression of trepidation in her eyes. The breath rushed out of his lungs in a deep sigh as he slowly stood next to her.

His hand trembled slightly as he reached up and lightly traced the crescent moon on her forehead. He realized with a start that Usagi was crying. Heero grunted and brushed her tears away with the pads of his fingers, searching for a response.

"It doesn't matter to me who you are or what you look like. I love you, Usagi. I'm not going anywhere."

*End Flashback*

Heero tightened his arm around Usagi's shoulders. That moment was seared in his memory. He'd meant every word he said, and he intended to stay with Usagi through whatever trials laid ahead. He glanced to the left, and noticed that Duo was staring at him from the other side of the car.

"What?"

Duo shrugged. "It's just a lot of responsibility you're both taking on. Any idea how she came to be nominated?"

Ding and Peter Covington turned their heads slightly, interested in his answer. The silence stretched between the group for a long moment. Heero turned to look out the window, and replied quietly,

"My understanding is that she was in her second year of high school, and was approached by a member of the _Kunaicho_ who interviewed her briefly. The rest is history."

Duo nodded thoughtfully. "I'm surprised they didn't assign a more formal guard to her after the announcement."

Ding coughed lightly. "Actually, Duo, we've been temporarily assigned as her guard because she's staying on base."

Duo could only nod again. "That makes sense. What sort of duties are we looking at?"

Heero grunted. "Over the next few days, she'll be going to and from London frequently. Minimum of two guards at all times. If anything happens to her, I'm holding you personally responsible, Mr. Chavez and Mr. Covington."

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The car slid to a smooth stop in front of Duo and Wufei's house. Rei opened the front door, and headed toward the car, looking excited. Her face fell slightly when Heero emerged, carrying Usagi.

"How long has she been sleeping for?" Rei asked quietly.

"Since we got in the car." Duo remarked. "I think your interrogation will have to wait until tomorrow morning."

"Damn." Rei pouted.

Duo laughed quietly as they all entered the house.

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Halfway around the world, a man sat in his basement, glaring at the dimly glowing television screen. As the news announcement was broadcast once more, his grip tightened on his glass of whiskey. He took a deep breath and slowly relaxed his fingers, leering at the screen.

"I've finally found you. Serenity."

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Ami Mizuno was studying the book intently. Lady Une and the other researcher were correct. There was a noticeable difference between the pictures taken the day before and the book now. She carefully took a picture of the page and copied it into her computer's translation program.

Sally Po and Lucrezia Noin watched the process with baited breath. Ami ignored them—she knew full well what the translation would say, and prayed it would be garbled enough to prevent a positive identification of her friend. Several minutes passed in silence as the computer program worked. A slight beep drew her attention to the rough translation.

Turning the screen toward the two Preventers, she re-arranged the translation into a more understandable format as she read it aloud.

"During the Queen Serenity's reign, she bore one child, a daughter. The Princess Serenity grew up within the walls of the Moon Palace at Mare Serentitis. A curious child, she often snuck away to visit her people. On one occasion, the young princess found her way to Earth, where she met a prince of Earth, Endymion. Despite the forbidden nature of their relationship, they fell in love. A lady of Earth, Beryl, became jealous of Endymion's love for Serenity, and was possessed by the demon Metallia.

"War began on Earth. Metallia's servant infected the people's hearts and minds with sorrow and darkness. Only the Prince Endymion remained unaffected, protected by the Princess Serenity's love. Eventually, the war could not be contained on Earth, and came to the Moon Kingdom. The Prince's generals, formerly trusted as advisors and lovers to the Princesses of Serenity's Court, used that trust to gain admittance to the Moon Palace, and killed many warriors. The Prince Endymion fell at the hands of Beryl and Metallia when he defended Princess Serenity from the darkness. In her grief, the Princess took up his sword and killed herself. Queen Serenity's sorrow was so great, she called upon the power of the Imperium Silver Crystal and the Prayer Tower of the Moon Palace, and gave her life in exchange for those of her daughter and her daughter's court. She sealed the darkness away, and wished for her daughter and the court to be reborn when all would be strong enough to defeat Beryl and Metallia."

Ami paused in her reading. "That's what was on the page until this evening. Any questions?"

Sally and Noin both shook their heads, staring in fascination at the rest of the translation. Ami continued reading.

"In the age of men, the Princess Serenity and her court were reborn on Earth. The seals holding Beryl and Metallia had grown weak. When the princess was but fourteen, the seals broke, and the demons launched an offensive on Earth, concentrated in a land called Japan. The princess's court was gradually reawakened, their memories of their pasts returning. The princess was missing, but in her place, a sailor soldier known as Sailor Moon took her place. Joined by the four princesses of Mercury, Venus, Mars, and Jupiter, it was discovered that Sailor Moon was, in fact, the Princess Serenity when the Prince Endymion fell protecting her from an enemy's blade.

"Prince Endymion was captured by Metallia, his body used as a vessel. However, the Princess and her court were not deterred from the fight, and won the battle against Metallia and Beryl. Both were destroyed by the light. A time of peace ensued, but it did not last. Enemies came from the future and the far reaches of the galaxy to challenge the Princess and her court. None succeeded in claiming the earth as their own. The Princess gained in power, and was joined by her remaining four guardians: princesses of Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto.

"The final battle of the Sailor Wars took place when Princess Serenity was sixteen. Her love and compassion triumphed over Chaos, and restored peace to this galaxy. It is prophesized that as the Princess grows in power and ability, the glory of the Moon Kingdom shall be restored, and an era of peace awaits."

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I hope you enjoyed this segment. As always, reviews are much appreciated.


	11. Diamonds

The smell was nearly overpowering. Cigarette smoke, alcohol, and sweat all mixed together. Heero leaned against a wall in the dance club, uncomfortable. Why was he here again? His eyes were drawn to Relena, and he sighed. He was here because of her. Because it was her birthday, and she'd asked him, of all people, to come along. It wasn't like he was good company. Her boyfriend, Mamoru, and their friend, Usagi, were better suited to these events.

He couldn't help but glare a little at Usagi. She'd come up with the idea to dye Relena's hair black for the night so the princess and political leader could truly relax and enjoy her birthday without reporters and photographers hounding her. Heero grudgingly admitted it was a good idea. No one looked twice at the little group as they entered, and it was so dark that most people's features were indistinguishable. Even if someone in this room was a threat to her, Heero doubted they'd recognize her. His eyes were drawn yet again to Usagi, in her short blue dress and heels that made her legs seem miles long.

Usagi moved to the beat. She danced with everyone and no one. Heero stared at her. In the three weeks since he'd met her in her apartment, she'd turned his life upside down. She'd won their bet with a happy smile on her face. And every time he saw her, Heero felt a fluttering of something in his chest. Every time she smiled for someone else, his hands clenched. He didn't know what she was doing to him, but he knew he didn't like it.

His eyes narrowed as a particularly drunk man started dancing with her, his chest pressed against her back. The man seemed like he couldn't keep his hands to himself. Usagi's smile slowly slid off her face. Their eyes met across the room, and Heero could read the distress in them as easily as if she'd shouted "Help!" He pushed off from the wall and weaved his way through the crowd. He reached Usagi and the man, and quickly grabbed her arm, pulling her to him. She buried her head in his chest, one of her hands clenching into his black shirt. He wrapped an arm around her waist, glaring all the while at the drunkard.

Even drunk, the man wasn't stupid. Heero's glare quickly had him backing away, his hands up in silent apology. Heero hesitantly ran his free hand down her back, coming to rest on her waist. He started swaying to the beat of the dance music; she followed. As he looked down at her, her eyes flashed to his, and she smiled in gratitude. Heero slowly lowered his head to hers, somewhat surprised when she stood on her tip toes to meet him.

As their lips met, Heero bit back a groan. His arms tightened around her waist, pulling her tighter to him. He smirked against her mouth at her surprised squeak. They were still moving to the beat, but it felt entirely different now. Heero's hands tingled as he ran them over her bare arms and buried them in her hair. She raised her hands to rest on the back of his neck, her fingers idly running through his hair.

Heero very nearly pushed her against the wall, but thought better of it. He pulled back far enough that he could look her in the eye. He saw the same excitement in hers that he felt; the familiar rush before a conquest. He could freely admit that he'd had his share of one-night stands since the war had ended, that the pain in his heart dulled for those few short hours. And he knew he was a good fuck. He gave as good as he got.

His left hand slid from her hair down her back, coming to rest on her waist again. She shivered and unconsciously ground herself against him. This time, Heero couldn't fight his groan. His hands pulled her tighter against him. He leaned his head down by her ear, whispering into it.

"I need to be inside you, Usagi. I need to feel your body move against mine."

Despite the noise of the club, Usagi heard him loud and clear. Her knees went a little weak. They felt like jelly as his lips nipped her earlobe. Her hands clenched tighter into the fabric of his shirt. It took a couple tries, but she found her voice.

"My place or yours?"

Heero smirked against the side of her neck. She nearly jumped out of her skin as she felt it. His right hand angled her neck to the side, and he ran his lips and tongue down it, then back up, breathing hot air just under her earlobe. He felt her trembling and he smirked again.

"Mine." He replied simply, pulling away from her.

She blinked up at him, dazed for a moment. And then she nodded and reached for his hand. They quickly left the club behind.

A five minute walk later, Heero led Usagi up two flights of stairs. He fumbled with his keys for a moment before he got the door to his apartment open. He all but slammed the door behind him and reached for Usagi. This time he did push her against the wall, his lips demanding against hers. He felt it when her small hands began working at the buttons on his shirt; he helped her push the shirt off his broad shoulders. His abdominal muscles tightened as he felt Usagi running her hands across them. His hands slid up and under her dress, trying to slide it over her head. He grunted, frustrated, as he struggled.

"There's a zipper." Usagi broke away from the kiss, gasping for air. "On the back."

"Hn." Heero turned Usagi so her back faced him. The only sound in his apartment was that of the zipper sliding lower. Heero took a moment to admire the creamy skin of her back before he pulled the dress over her head, leaving her in lacy undergarments. He pinned Usagi to the wall as she tried to turn back to him.

Her gasp of surprise turned into a moan as his lips found the back of her neck. They settled there as his hands explored her body, learning its contours. He wrapped one arm around her stomach and pulled her into his body, groaning as her skin made contact with his. He released her and stepped back. As she turned to face him, he took her hand in his, and led her into his bedroom.

*End Flashback*

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Heero's eyes slowly opened. He was amazed at how strong the memory still felt; at how easily the desire returned. Ever since he'd woken up the morning after, his body tangled with hers, his world had changed. He turned to her, fully intending to pick up where the dream had left off, and blinked in surprise. Her side of the bed was still warm, but she was nowhere to be found. His senses sharpened as he stood.

He heard soft sounds coming from the hall bathroom. Retching. He carefully opened the door. Usagi didn't look up at him from her position on the floor as she heaved into the toilet again. Heero turned to the sink and filled a glass with water. When she was silent, he knelt beside her and handed her the glass. She took it gratefully, rinsing her mouth. As she leaned away from the toilet, Heero studied her with concern. She was very pale, sweat dotting her forehead. She shivered, her flimsy camisole and shorts doing little to keep her warm.

Heero moved to sit next to her. He carefully wrapped an arm around her shoulders. Usagi leaned into the warmth.

"Are you all right?"

"Why do they call it morning sickness?" Usagi groaned softly. "I feel sick all day every day."

Heero's face twisted with understanding. "Is there anything I can do?"

"Stay with me?" She requested sweetly. "I don't feel up to moving right now."

Heero nodded, and silence descended about the duo. Usagi's breathing slowly deepened as she neared sleep. Heero leaned his head against the wall, prepared to remain in the uncomfortable position for as long as Usagi needed him. A soft knock at the door drew his attention. He watched as Rei's long fingers pushed the door open. She had a steaming cup of tea and some saltines on a small tray. She knelt beside them as Usagi's eyes opened warily.

"Usagi-chan, you should eat something." Rei smiled at her friend. She reached out to smooth Usagi's bangs back. "Trust me when I say it'll be better to eat a little now than to go without."

"I don't know if I can, Rei-chan." Usagi sniffled, tears coming to her eyes. "My stomach hurts."

"I know." Rei soothed. She wet a wash cloth and placed it on the back of Usagi's neck. "But you'll feel worse tomorrow if you don't eat a little now."

She held out the cup of green tea to Usagi. The blonde slowly took it and sipped hesitantly. Her expression cleared as her stomach didn't protest. She reached for a saltine and started nibbling on it. Time passed silently as Usagi finished the saltines and tea. Her eyes drooped, and she nearly dropped the cup when she fell into an exhausted sleep. Rei looked at her, eyes tender.

"You should be able to take her back to bed, Heero." Rei yawned as she stood.

"It's the first time she's gotten sick." Heero finally spoke, eyes never leaving Usagi.

"We're not normal, Heero." Rei pointed out. "Until this evening, Usagi had extra energy coursing through her body. It's only going to become harder on her if she transforms again."

Heero grunted and shifted. He slid a hand under her knees and supported her back with the other as he picked her up. Rei held the door for him and pulled the sheets on their bed back. He gently laid her down, his right hand coming to rest on her abdomen. A small bump, something only her closest friends would notice, was visible in the dim light filtering through the living room window. His expression softened with wonder. He heard Rei head back toward the door.

"Rei," he called out softly. "Thank you."

"Goodnight, Heero." Rei nodded before she closed the door behind her.

Heero walked to the other side of the bed and laid down, careful not to jostle Usagi. Her breathing was deep and even. His breathing also evened out as he relaxed and fell asleep.

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The next morning, Usagi was escorted to the Japanese embassy. She resisted the urge to roll her eyes at the sheer number of people now guarding her; at the last count, 9 people were in her car and the cars surrounding her, and those were just the people she knew about! As the car made a quick turn into the embassy compound, she caught sight of the mass of reporters waiting for a glimpse of her, the future leader of Japan.

She sighed. "All I ever wanted was to be normal…"

Heero turned from his surveillance of the crowd and squeezed her hand. "You're the most normal person I know. Don't ever change."

Usagi nodded, her lips curving upward in a slow smile.

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Now that she'd "come out" as the future leader of Japan, Usagi no longer worked in the basement of the embassy. Instead, she was moved to an office next to Ambassador Meiou's. It was small, but comfortable. Most important to Usagi, it had a window that faced the small garden at the back of the embassy. The space suited her.

She leaned back and stretched, enjoying the brief solitude. The day had been filled with meetings and updates on how people back home were taking the news. As soon as the Emperor finished his visit, she knew she would be returning to Japan. If she couldn't lead a normal life, she was bound and determined to be the best ruler Japan had ever known. She wouldn't settle for anything less.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door.

"Come in!" Usagi called out cheerily. Even though she was exhausted she was, at heart, a people person. Perhaps the best thing about her new job was that she had the chance to meet so many new people.

Her new secretary, a brisk woman named Yuka Minamoto, entered the room. "I'm sorry to bother you, but there's a phone call. The caller was quite insistent on reaching you."

"Who is it?"

"He wouldn't say." Yuka replied, frowning. "But he went through three layers of security to reach you, so it must be all right."

Usagi mirrored Yuka's frown. "All right. Thank you for letting me know. You can put the call through."

Yuka nodded. "I'll do that. I've also incorporated your suggested revisions into the most recent press release. I'll bring a copy in once your phone call is done. Can I bring you some tea as well?"

Usagi nodded and smiled gratefully. Yuka dipped her head in a short bow and left the room. Usagi turned to her phone and picked up line two.

"This is Usagi Yuy."

"Hello Usagi, long time no see." The smooth voice on the other end of the line had Usagi clutching the phone tightly to her ear.

"Diamond?" Usagi whispered. "But you died!"

The man chuckled. "Such a naïve little rabbit. I wanted to call and see how you're doing. What a shame that the people don't know who they're getting for an empress, wouldn't you say? I must say, Serenity, that you are even more beautiful now than you were ten years ago."

"Stop." Usagi commanded, her voice calm despite her fear and anxiety. She jabbed the call button for Pluto on her communicator. "You will stay away from me. If I get even a hint that you're about to do something stupid, I will find you, and believe me, the results won't be pretty."

Her office door opened with a soft _snick_, and Setsuna came in. She ignored Yuka's curious gaze as she shut the door and turned to Usagi. Usagi motioned Setsuna further into her office and put her phone onto speaker.

"What do you want?"

"What I've always wanted, my sweet Serenity. You." Diamond replied smoothly.

"You can't have me." Usagi replied forcefully as Setsuna's eyes widened in shock.

He chuckled again. "You would be surprised at what I can have, Serenity. My reach knows no bounds, and I will find you. You will be mine, one way or another. And please give my greetings to your senshi friends. I so look forward to their pathetic attempts to find me."

The soft dial tone filled the room. Usagi hung up and stared at Setsuna, her eyes filled with worry.

"What do we do?"

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And I'm back! I hope you enjoyed the most recent installment of this story. Keep an eye out for updates; my goal is to update one story a month!


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